Reader April 12 2018

ReADeR

Arts, entertainment, bluster and some news

April 12, 2018 | FREE | Vol. 15 Issue 15

get lost

Sen. Jim Risch weighs in on Scotchman Peaks issue Idaho’s ongoing battle against cbd oil How to argue, part 4 time’s up for five minutes of fame

Election profiles: Dan McDonald and Carol kunzeman Fake news, the mad hatter tea and ball, twelfth night, asparagus soup recipe, the dark side of natural selection, misadventures in corporate america and more

OPEN 11:30 am

GAME ROOM UPSTAIRS

The Psounbality with Per FRESH FOOD LIVE MUSIC THE BEST NW BREWS

•TRANSPORTATION: Secure funding to improve safety and efficiency of our roads, bridges and airports.

•EDUCATION: Adequately fund education and integrate vocational education to meet work force needs.

•JOBS: Retain and expand our current resource jobs and promote jobs in emerging industries.

•NATURAL RESOURCES: Expand the multiple use of our forests and protect our precious waters.

•CONSTITUENT SERVICE: Listen to constituents and address the “things that matter” to them.

212 Cedar Street Downtown Sandpoint

208.263.4005 A SandPint Tradition Since 1994

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www.MikeBoeckForIdaho.com

(wo)MAN compiled by

Susan Drinkard

on the street

What do you wish you had known when you were younger?

“Never take a single moment for granted when it comes to loved ones. I learned this at a young age when I lost three family members in six years.”

DEAR READERS,

It’s another beautiful week in North Idaho. We have another 28-page issue jam packed with “arts, entertainment, bluster and some news,” or so our motto says.

One of our columnists pointed something out recently that is worth sharing with our readers. Phone scammers often pose as IRS agents this time of year, or they’ll say that they are with one of your utility providers in an attempt to gain access to your information. You should know, the IRS contacts us via mail, not telephone. If you haven’t received a communication from the IRS via U.S. Mail, they won’t call you. Period. Which means anyone posing as an IRS agent on the phone is trying to scam you. Most major corporations also have a policy of not calling their customers. If there is a problem with your account, you’ll usually be notified by mail and encouraged to call the number on your bill.

Happy April showers to everyone. Thanks for reading.

-Ben Olson, Publisher

Teal Doney Med assistant Sandpoint

READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Taylor Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Vidar Matheson (cover), Mike Jewell, Amy Henderson, Lee Santa, Ben Olson.

Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Emily Erickson, Alan Harper, David Phillips, George Wuerthner, Tim Henney, Shannon Williamson, Brenden Bobby, Eric Ridgway, Tim Bearly, Marcia Pilgeram.

“I wish I had known my dad.”

David Stewart Sagle

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“To value your time and to treasure the people around you.”

Stephanie Kilpatrick LPN Spirit Lake

“That life is short, so you should take care of yourself.”

Barbara Guilbert Retired Thompson Falls, Montana

Open Mic w/ KEVIN DORIN

6-9pm

RON GREENE

Breakfast and Lunch (8 - 2 Monday-Friday)

W/ JUSTYN PRIEST AND BRIAN BURKE

6:30-9:30pm

Food by Edelwagen Food Truck

Spring Cornhole Classic

First toss 1pm

MOSTLY HARMLESS

6:30-9:30pm

Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community.

The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink.

Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.

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Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.

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About the Cover

This week’s cover photograph was taken in central Idaho by Vidar Matheson.

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NEWS

Idaho Forest Group Acquires Athol Mill

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Idaho Forest Group is growing following the acquisition of Merritt Brothers Finger Joint Mill in Athol.

The purchase expands the lumber producer’s capabilities into finger-joint manufacturing. According to Erol Deren, IFG vice president of sales and marketing, it’s a great investment for getting the most out of North Idaho timber resources.

“This acquisition gives us the opportunity to learn the value-added finger-joint manufacturing process,” he said in a press release. “It will enable further utilization of the fiber resource

and complements our other facilities making the most of the logs that we procure for our mills. We will carefully evaluate the capital needs of this site and invest accordingly.”

Merritt Brothers Finger Joint Mill has its origins in the 1968 partnership between Buck and Wayne Merritt on the Merritt Brothers Lumber Company. Originally based in a Priest River sawmill, the brothers later purchased the Athol site and sold the Priest River location.

“We wish IFG a prosperous future,” said Merritt Brothers Vice President Herb Jahnsen in a press release. “We are happy to see the mill continue to move forward and offer employment

opportunities to our valued team members. We are thankful for the hard work our employees have put in over the years.”

Idaho Forest Group, formed in 2008 with the merger of Riley Creek Lumber and Bennett Forest Industries, is one of the largest companies in the timber industry, with the capacity to process 1 billion board feet of timber per year.

IFG’s Kevin Esser and Erol Deren shake hands with Buck Merritt, owner of Merritt Brothers.

Courtesy photo

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

LillyBrooke open house highlights growth

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The LillyBrooke Family Justice Center hosted an open house Wednesday evening to showcase progress made since the house’s initial opening in July.

LillyBrooke is located in Sandpoint in the historic McFarland House, located on the corner of First Avenue and Highway 95. Director Peggy Frye said the justice center’s overarching goal is to be a “one-stop shop” for victims of assault and abuse, as well as for the people who help with such cases. This could include personnel from the sheriff’s department, Idaho Health and Welfare, forensic examiners and more.

“We want it to be a trauma-informed approach to helping victims,” Frye said. “The house comes into play because it’s a friendly setting.”

Frye said visiting one place (the LillyBrooke house) rather than several places (the emergency room, sheriff’s office, etc.) is easier on victims, especially children. By using the house, 4 /

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The entrance to LillyBrooke at the McFarland House in Sanpdoint. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert.

Frye said victims need only tell their stories once instead of several times.

LillyBrooke features a forensic examining room, several private interview rooms and a couple offices — but throughout, Frye said, the goal was to make it feel like a comfortable home.

LillyBrooke even has a facility dog, Ken, who was trained by Canine Companions for Inde-

The View Cafe catches fire

pendence, an organization that provides assistance dogs free of charge to people in need.

Prosecuting attorney Louis Marshall said that while LillyBrooke is county run, almost the entire operation is funded by grants and donations.

Learn more about the center at lillybrookefjc.org.

The View Cafe has temporarily closed after firefighters extinguished a fire in the Cocolalla restaurant’s kitchen this week.

According to Selkirk Fire, Rescue and EMS Chief Ron Stocking, a timely alert by a driver who spotted smoke billowing from the building helped emergency personnel minimize overall damage. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

“It could have been a lot worse had we not been alerted so quickly,” Stocking said.

According to Stocking, the fire was reported by the driver around 2 a.m. on Tuesday. Within minutes, emergency response arrived on scene and worked on extinguishing the fire, which was located in the kitchen. The fire was smoking heavily, but the flames were relatively contained.

Firefighters were careful to ensure the fire had not spread to other areas of the building, like the attic.

According to Stocking, the fire was contained quickly thanks to the prompt alert they received. He encourages residents to remain vigilant and report incidents quickly for exactly that reason.

“Luckily, the system worked,” he said.

Restaurant associates acknowledged the fire on Tuesday

Photo by Selkirk Fire Rescue & EMS Facebook.

and announced on Facebook they would be closed for an indeterminate period time.

“Yes we had a fire,” read a post on The View Cafe’s Facebook page. “We will be closed for a while but we will be open again and I will let you all know as we get through the process of it all.”

According to Kerri Newsome, who has owned the business for almost three years, the fire is a terrible setback for a restaurant with a legacy dating back to the late ‘40s or early ‘50s.

“We are happy everyone was safe, and we are hoping to rebuild,” Newsome said. “I will say it is so heartbreaking for all the time my crew and myself have put into the place in the past two and a half years.”

NEWS

Leroy talks policy in Sandpoint visit

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff With weeks running out before the primary election, District 1 Congressional candidate Dave Leroy is optimistic about his potential path to victory.

In a visit to Sandpoint last week, Leroy spent his time meeting with voters and detailing his vision for representing Idaho in Congress. Although he’s running in a packed race against a multitude of Republican candidates, Leroy is confident he has the experience and conservative principles he needs to succeed in Washington, D.C. “I’m a goal-oriented person,” he said in an interview with the Reader. “… I want to get beyond the rhetoric and go to the solutions to these problems (our country faces).”

There is no shortage of candidates pursuing the seat in the U.S. House. In addition to Leroy, Russ Fulcher, Alex Gallegos, Nick Henderson, Luke Malek, Christy Perry and Michael Snyder are seeking the Republican nomination for the general election. Despite the tight field of competition, Leroy said polls show him in the lead among likely Republican primary voters, with Fulcher garnering the next highest amount of support.

When arguing his qualifications for candidacy, Leroy said it all comes down to one simple element: experience.

“First and foremost, if you add up the experience of all six candidates … my experience outweighs the collective experience of all others,” he said.

Over the course of his public career, Leroy has served as Ada County prosecutor, Idaho attorney general, Idaho lieutenant governor, acting governor of Idaho for 254 days and United States nuclear waste negotiator.

Leroy positions himself as a constitutional conservative who aims to tackle immigration reform, Congressional term limits and regulation and tax cutting.

Leroy is particularly concerned with immigration, recently traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border and talking with local police chiefs and sheriffs about their experiences in law enforcement.

“The last time we had comprehensive immigration reform, The Beatles had a number-one record and we had not put a man on the moon yet,” Leroy said.

Should he win the Republican nomination and be elected into office, Leroy sees

himself being a partner to President Donald Trump in passing conservative legislation. He sees Trump as an agent of change in Washington, D.C., and lauds his cutting of federal regulations.

“I would try to put in front of him conservative legislation in this time when we are lost and troubled in national policy,” he said.

Leroy’s hope is to get appointed to the House Judiciary Committee if elected to Congress. He believes that getting a handle on the deficit is a matter of national security and is also concerned about respect for the rule of law in today’s public policy.

“I’m a constitutional conservative who has all my life respected the rule of law,”

The Idaho House and Senate passed a House Joint Memorial to tell Congress they “oppose any new federal national monument designations or further designations of wilderness in the State of Idaho without the approval of the United States Congress and the Idaho Legislature.”

House Joint Memorials act as petitions — they don’t establish policy, but instead serve as a message to federal legislators voicing a request from the state legislators.

“It’s just a group of people saying ‘we want this’ or ‘we don’t want this,’” said Rep. Mat Erpelding (D-Boise). “It’s basically a love letter, or a letter of disdain, which that’s what this one was.”

HJM 14 is a definitive stance that Idaho wants a voice when it comes to national monument and wilderness designations, said Rep. Brent Crane (R-Nampa).

Erpelding and Crane are both a part of the Ways and Means committee, which drafted HJM 14. Erpelding voted against, while Crane voted for the memorial. “(Legislators) want to make sure there’s no more federal land grabs without

County dump sites to close May 2 All attended Bonner County solid waste collection sites will be closed on Wednesday, May 2.

Solid Waste Director Bob Howard said the closures are due to an employee training.

This is the first time all sites will be closed at the same time. Howard said it’s in an effort to be more “efficient” with training.

Normal operations for all dump sites will resume May 3 at 7 a.m.

Find a map of all county solid waste collection sites — including the unattended ones — at bonnercountyid.gov/solid-waste. [LK]

Dave Leroy. Courtesy photo. he said. “A lot of what we’re doing today in Washington is inconsistent with the Constitution and rule of law.”

Idaho lawmakers oppose new federal lands without vote

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

NEWS IN BRIEF

a vote,” Crane said. He said this is largely a response to the land designations made during Barack Obama’s presidency.

Erpelding said he sees the economic value national monuments can have as tourist destinations, and that it’s unlikely a president would make executive designations without widespread support.

HJM 14 refers specifically to the federal coordination clause, which suggests federal agencies work with local groups (in this case, the Idaho House and Senate) to make land designation decisions.

It also addresses the Idaho Roadless Rule, written in 2006, which prescribes protective management even to federal land in the state. HJM 14 states that the use of the Antiquities Act — which allows the president to designate national monuments with the stroke of a pen — could usurp agreements made in the Roadless Rule.

Read HJM 14 in its entirety at legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2018/legislation/hjm014.

HJM 14 sponsors Rep. Van Burtenshaw (R-Terreton) and Sen. Jeff Siddoway (R-Terreton) did not respond to requests for comment before press time.

Spring county road maintenance preview Although snow storms still make the occasional appearance during unpredictable North Idaho springs, the Bonner County Road and Bridge Department is converting it’s snow plows to dump trucks in preparation for improving the county’s nearly 700 miles of road.

Road and Bridge Director Steve Klatt said once weight limits are lifted, crews north of Sandpoint will begin spreading gravel throughout the Center Valley and Upper Gold Creek. Crews in Sagle will be cleaning up snow damage on Lakeshore, Bottle Bay and Sagle Roads before starting roadside ditching and brushing on Sagle Road. Priest River crews will improve Carr Creek Road, reopen Eastriver Road and replace culverts on Peninsula Road. They’ll then head north to resurface Granite Creek Marina and Reeder Creek Roads.

Klatt said the most notable project coming up is the rebuild and closure of the Bottle Bay Road/Highway 95 intersection beginning in May and carrying through the summer. A bridge project on Eastriver Road will affect traffic but not close the road, and two large culvert projects will result in short-term closures on Eastside and Evergreen Roads.

Klatt said spring in the county is “an interesting season of weight limits, potholes and mud, soon to be followed by dust.”

The combat the dust, the department applies magnesium chloride to nearly 400 miles of gravel roads, and some areas receive two coats due to high traffic.

To ask questions, call Road and Bridge at 208-255-5681, or email Klatt at steve. klatt@bonnercountyid.gov. [LK] April 12, 2018 /

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PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Coffee shop orchestra

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

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According to Merriam-Webster, a generation is defined as a group of individuals born and living contemporaneously, or existing and traveling the phases of life at relatively the same time.

We’ve come to use the concept of generations as a way to organize and compare ourselves and the common characteristics of our peers against the differences of those born in another period of time.

When we simply understand generations as a way of measuring people by when they were born and the social environments encompassing their coming of age, the categorization can be helpful and productive.

However, when we begin to use generations as a way to cast broad, and often negative generalizations across large groups of people, we risk cultivating the worst characteristics within those groups.

We divide ourselves into “us“ versus “them,” perpetuating division that is both unnecessary and harmful to individuals and society as a whole.

In an attempt to uncover the basis of our tendency to participate in generational segregation, I spent the last couple of weeks in my favorite local coffee shop, engaging a variety of cozy, caffeinated patrons in generational and Millennial-related conversation.

To the latte-sipping Millennials I inquired, “What is one thing you want other generations to know about you?”

The question was met with colorful details of the joy and

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Emily Erickson. struggle of life lived differently, the brazen defensiveness natural in those who feel unfairly categorized, and a repeated theme of shying away from identifying with the Millennial generation.

Katie Adams, co-founder of the non-profit Plant Positive and part time Evan’s Brother’s barista said, “I am happier than I ever thought I could be without a ‘regular’ or ‘traditional’ job or life!”

Faith Nelson, Forty-One South waitress and Spuds cook defended, “There are positives to us [Millennials] as well. We are amazing multitaskers, are creative, and value learning and education. I wish the people that focus solely on the negatives realize that we are the ones that will likely be taking care of them in the future.”

Pat Moriearty, photographer and employee at both Shotski and Beet and Basil shuddered at the question, stating, “I guess I just don’t really consider myself a Millennial.”

After conducting my informal interviews, it was evident that Millennials are subject to an array of feelings toward being a part of their generation, as

they are so often proud of their attempt at leading their best lives, but also are uncomfortable accepting the negative labels ascribed to them and their peers.

To the coffee-guzzling patrons from the non-Millennial generations, I asked, “What do you think of when you hear the term ‘Millennial?’” and “What is one piece of advice you’d give the Millennial generation?”

These questions were met with incredible variety, as a portion of people responded by detailing the expected generalizations of laziness and entitlement, while others answered with questions about our motivations behind labeling generations as well as beautifully crafted metaphors about inclusivity and togetherness.

Adam Kusler, member of Generation X, described Millenials as, “individuals who are more interested in self-centric ventures as opposed to the traditional route of college, having kids, committing to a career, and relying on the golden years to pursue their bucket list.”

Lawrence Blakey of the Silent Generation wondered about the purpose of generational categories stating, “When I was a young man, I don’t remember such generational designations.

Why are we labeling generations now? I am pretty adverse to being pigeon-holed myself, so I wonder about the intention or if it’s even productive or accurate.”

Lee Santa and Richard Beber, also members of the Silent Generation, advised Millennials and people of all generations to “Listen to more jazz,” and to “Join a band or orchestra.”

Beber continued, “When you’re in a band, it doesn’t

matter how old you are, or what your political or economic status is. You have to listen to everyone around you in order to contribute to the overall sound.”

He described that when you’re playing music in a band, you cannot simply think of yourself, but rather, you have to take into consideration every member participating. The togetherness achieved through playing music can transcend notes and instruments and be applied to our everyday lives.

Following suit, Baby Boomer Greg Flint commented, “What’s in our hearts doesn’t have to be in the same language to harmonize. We are all connected in unique ways, especially today

because technology has put us all in the same room. And the potential of that is amazing.”

When we shift our focus away from all of the reasons why we are different across generations to the benefit of all of us viewing the world through our unique and diverse lenses, we can each begin to contribute to improving society as whole.

So dust off your old saxophone, grab a bass guitar, and let’s get to playing. Harmony awaits.

Emily Erickson is a freelance writer and bartender originally from Wisconsin, with a degree in Sociology and an affinity for playing in the mountains.

Retroactive

By BO

FIND YOUR JOY

OPINION

Vote for McDonald...

Vote for the Scotchman Peaks

By Alan Harper Reader Contributor We have a healthy timber industry in North Idaho. A forester by trade, I have always made my living in the woods.

For the last 20 years, I’ve been lucky enough to work for Idaho Forest Group.

I don’t just work in the woods; it’s also where I play.

Within one day’s drive of our place, we can be in a wilderness in Central Idaho or Montana, but there are no wilderness areas in northern Idaho where we live.

My wife and I ride our horses together as often as we can. And there’s nothing like packing into the backcountry with the horses and mules and going hunting with my wife, kids and our friends. On horseback, we can get as far as 10 or 15 miles into the wilderness. That’s farther than most people can walk into these areas that are non-motorized. Fewer people and less noise puts less pressure on wildlife. That means there’s more to hunt, and our experience is much better than it would be outside of the backcountry. Living here allows us to strike the perfect balance between work and recreation, and we couldn’t live anywhere else.

Balance is my philosophy on a lot of things, and managing National Forests is one of them. When I hear the Forest Service talk about “multiple use,” I think they should think about which use makes the most sense for a given area of the forest. Some places are best suited for timber harvest and others should be managed for non-motorized recreation, and other areas should be managed for motorized recreation. As forest users, we can come to-

gether and fine common ground around these issues and help shape the way our public lands are managed.

Not too long ago, my wife and I made it to the top of Scotchman Peak in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. We rode our horses most of the way up and hiked the rest. It was a crystal-clear day, and the bear grass was in full bloom.

When we got to the highest point, Lake Pend Oreille looked close enough to touch, and we knew we were seeing something special.

Scotchman Peaks is the perfect example of an area that should be managed for its wilderness character, like the forest plan says. It’s very rugged country up there, and the trees that grow at such high elevation and in such rocky ground won’t make high-quality lumber.

Scotchman Peaks is beautiful, it’s undisturbed and it makes sense to keep it that way.

I’m living proof that the timber industry can not only coexist but thrive alongside conservation. Idaho is one of the few places left in this country where a person can make a living in the woods and enjoy places like Scotchman Peaks. On May 15, I hope you’ll vote “in favor” of Sen. Risch’s wilderness proposal, and make sure it stays that way.

Alan Harper is the forest resource manager for Idaho Forest Group, a company he’s been employed with for 19 years. Alan is responsible for the procurement of 440 million board feet of logs for the four northern mills in Idaho and Montana.

Dear Editor, I have been an active attendee of the Bonner County Commissioners’ weekly meetings for six years. I have been very impressed with what Commissioner Dan McDonald has accomplished during his first term. In 2016 Dan campaigned on responsible, business-oriented management of the county’s budget and assets and bringing a cultural change to local government oriented on customer service and supervisory responsibility.

Dan’s tenure and track record show that he has fulfilled his campaign promises, which include: reducing the county’s budget by almost $8 million dollars, reducing the number of department heads, moving the county into self-insured status saving hundreds of thousands of dollars and re-tasking Road and Bridge to maintain the investment in county roads.

Moving beyond his campaign promises, McDonald created a procurement/project manager position to take advantage of collective purchasing. To date, this position has saved the County $600,000. Additionally, this new position also has a focus on project management, a position that protects the taxpayer’s interests on county projects and reduces liability.

Clearly Commissioner McDonald has proven his effectiveness as a commissioner and representative of the people of Bonner County. Vote Dan McDonald for Bonner County Commissioner.

Victoria Zeischegg Sandpoint

Hooray for a Vibrant Community...

Dear Editor, Good god! Did you see all the fantastic events, charities, and educational opportunities going on in our community in last week’s Reader?

The Bonner County History Museum’s latest exhibit, a CNC router course at MakerPoint, a walking fundraiser for the homeless, Poem in Your Pocket Day (April 26), an Origami Flower workshop, Sandpoint Parks and Rec’s Softball league -- all that was reported on just pages 18 and 19 of a jam-packed edition of the Reader.

Even though I probably can’t make it to each of these events, it makes me happy knowing others will. And, I’m reminded how grateful I am to belong to this wonderful community.

Matt Nykiel Sandpoint

My Reason NOT to Vote for Michael Snyder for Congress...

Dear Editor, I am supporting: a man who doesn’t make bold claims, but instead relies on a voting record that everyone can see, character that has been demonstrated by what he does rather than what he says, and who has been serving the people of Idaho rather than self interest. I support Russ Fulcher rather than Snyder.

Dan Lawrence Sandpoint

SPORTS Endorses Scott...

Dear Editor, I am pleased to announce that the SPORTS premier firefighter- and law enforcement-related social club in pristine North Idaho is endorsing Heather Scott in the coming primary and election for District 1A state legislative seat. We believe Heather Scott to be a fabulous candidate — a candidate of and for the people, the best candidate by leaps and bounds.

Thank you SPORTS for your positive voice in supporting Rep. Scott’s hard work in countering the likes of Nancy Pelosi and the Obamanization of our beautiful North Idaho, land of the free!

Thank you to Rep. Scott for her efforts and sacrifices as a state legislator on the behalf of everyday citizens. Her sponsorship and success with school safety legislation embodied in HB 565, allowing qualified retired peace officers to carry their firearms without restriction in K-12 schools and colleges and universities in Idaho (a good guy with a gun), is to be commended! Like President Donald J. Trump, Heather Scott is of and for the people, ordinary folks like my colleagues and yours truly. We need Rep. Scott in elected office to neutralize the big floppy clown shoe-wearing progressives and RINOS who would turn us into mindless sheep at the beck and call of the far alt-left progressive Pelosicrats in the great state of Idaho.

Sincerely, Ron Adamik President, Safety-Peace Officers Retired To Sandpoint (SPORTS) Sandpoint

Got something to say? Write a letter to the editor at letters@sandpointreader.com. Under 400 words, and please elevate the discussion. Please no handwritten letters!

BY THE NUMBERS

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

3,890

How many tigers there are currently in the wild. The number has increased by 700 since 2010, the first time tiger populations have shown an increase in a century.

$500 billion

How much money the song “Stairway to Heaven” has earned Led Zeppelin over the years. Since it was never released as a single, if you wanted to hear the song, you had to buy the whole album.

1 million

How many plastic water bottles are sold every minute across the world. Over half a trillion bottles were sold during 2017, which, if stacked together end to end, would reach over halfway to the sun.

65.6 million

The number of people forcibly displaced from their homes in 2016. This means one person was forced to flee their home from war or violence every three minutes.

0

The number of women honored at 2017’s Nobel Prize awards.

2,436

The amount of times President Trump has lied since taking office, according to the Washington Post.

That’s an average of over six false or misleading statements per day.

$1,425

The price of a new pair of sneakers called “Future Destroyed High-Top Sneaker.”

April 12, 2018 /

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PERSPECTIVES

On the Lake:

A column about lake issues by the Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper

Let me get this straight the March 15 and April 5 editions of the Reader for more info), I wanted to I’m going to be spend the rest of my word straight up with you – count on BNSF’s rationale this article is about the for expanding bridge and proposed BNSF rail track infrastructure in our bridge expansion. Again. neck of the woods and how This is a BIG deal, so my brain is processing this. you’re probably going to BNSF asserts that be hearing about it from double tracking rail bridges me on the regular because will relieve congestion of there are a lot of moving traffic due to Sandpoint’s Shannon Williamson parts and timelines, and bottleneck where rail lines the rationale for the whole thing is quesconverge before heading over the lake. If tionable in general.

I knew nothing about the state of our rail First, if you haven’t written to the U.S. crossings in Sandpoint, I would take this Coast Guard asking that they conduct statement at face value and call it good. a full Environmental Impact Statement Unfortunately for us, the vast major(EIS) for the proposed BNSF rail bridge ity of our rail crossings are “at grade,” expansion project, PLEASE do so! You meaning they do not go over or under can find a link to talking points and conthe tracks. Let’s break this down. Double tact information for the Coast Guard on tracking provides the infrastructure necesLPOW’s homepage (www.lpow.org). sary to increase traffic. As traffic increasRather than re-hashing why a full es, trains will have the ability to move in EIS is most definitely needed (please see both directions simultaneously, which is

By Shannon Williamson Reader Columnist

after all the intended consequence. This is great for moving products from point A to point B more efficiently. There’s just one thing – we’ll all still be sitting behind closed gates watching products move from point A to point B. BNSF’s counterpoint to this argument is to say that they have no way (!) of predicting changes in train traffic volume in the years to come as it’s all market driven.

It might go up, it might go down, who knows? WHO KNOWS? Again, I could see myself head nodding at this, but... BNSF’s own permit application to the Army Corps states “The project need is based on continued growth of freight rail service demands in the northern tier high volume traffic corridor between the Midwest (Chicago Terminus) and the West Coast…Rail traffic volumes have risen steadily for the past three decades…” It seems to me that BNSF is counting on rail traffic increasing, not decreasing. I also seriously doubt that BNSF would undertake a project of this magnitude and expense

if they just weren’t sure.

What does this particular storyline have to do with water quality? Not a whole lot if you ignore the potential for a significant increase in the transport of hazardous materials next to and over our local waterways. What it should illuminate is the absolute need for a thorough review of 1) the purpose and need of the proposed action; 2) a description of the affected environments; 3) a range of alternatives to the proposed action; and 4) an analysis of environmental impacts of the alternatives. In other words, an EIS! Should we just take BNSF’s word that their proposed rail expansion effort will make all of our lives better or should an EIS be used to lay all of the facts out on the line for permitting agencies to base their decisions on?

I’m going with the latter.

Shannon Williamson is the executive director of Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper and president of the Sandpoint City Council.

Regarding the Festival doing away with the ‘number line’ system

By David Phillips Reader Contributor Editor’s Note: This op-ed is in response to a news story the Reader wrote about the Festival at Sandpoint ending their “number line” system and replacing it with a fee-based system where participants can pay extra to stand in line for better seats.

I believe there are a few more sides to this story.

In reality, the Festival people didn’t exactly get rid of the system; they turned it into a revenue source, and in the process removed any local advantage to people in the community by enabling online purchase of the perk.

The 300 “morning numbers” (literally cards numbered from 1 to 300, issued in order), a local tradition, had become abused by a small number of small peo8 /

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ple, among them parents sending their children to camp illegally in the park to claim the cherished numbers the morning of a show. These noble citizens then scalped the numbers to the ticket holders waiting in line ( a low number might go for as much as $100), while the Festival Committee for years determinedly looked the other way. Standing in line for a show, we observed parents escorting their kids and coaching them to work deals. I called this out to the Festival back in 2016, including video of the parent/child scalping activity. By coincidence the Festival a day later announced they were limiting morning numbers to one per ticket holder.

A small step in the right direction.

With a little more effort, they might’ve created a solution that preserved the local feel, catered a bit to the community that has supported them for so long, and largely defeated the more unseemly aspects.

The old system, while a bit ad hoc,

in spirit offered something to those in the community that made the Festival what has been: one could walk or bike over early to the venue and get one of the morning numbers, returning at show time able to enter the venue about a half hour early, in numeric order, to reserve a spot for a “blanket’s worth” of people.

The new plan effectively turns its back on that local population in favor of courting more and more remote attendance: in an email announcing “New Entry Options“, the free morning numbers that had to be acquired in person were transformed into the friendly-sounding “Need to Be Closer Plan:” only $25 per person, added to a ticket, which can be reserved online in the interests of making it “fair for fans from near and far”. Tickets for ZZ Top this year, on this plan, are for example over $100.

While it is somewhat defensible that the Festival is determined to grow and in-

crease revenue, there are tales of caution out there: Seattle’s Folk Life Festival, or Austin’s SXSW, or even the Bite of Spokane, events that have grown so large that the locals avoid them. The Festival organizers appear to be steering us the same direction of Bigger is Always Better.

The Sandpoint community made the Festival possible, and has continued to support it over the years, a friendly, relaxed couple of weeks of music and food.

It has become less friendly, less relaxed and certainly a lot less affordable each year. I would like to suggest the folks running the Festival remember that before they price attendance out of the reach of many local people and make the event so crowded that it is no longer attractive.

David Phillips lives, skis, kayaks, bikes and makes photographs and films in Sandpoint. He writes about these and other things at fromtheid.com.

PERSPECTIVES

Scotchman Peaks decision is not mine, it is yours

By U.S. Sen. Jim Risch Reader Contributor When you vote next month in the primary election, language will be included on the ballot asking the community to decide “Do you favor Senator Jim Risch’s proposal for congressional designation of a 13,960-acre Scotchman Peaks area in Bonner County?”

To be clear, this is not “Jim Risch’s proposal.” I did not initiate this proposal and, more importantly, I will follow the decision made by you, the people of Bonner County.

While it is true I introduced this legislation in Congress at the urging of many Idahoans, and it does carry my name as the sponsor, the bill I introduced was at the request of the Bonner County Commissioners and the Friends of Scotchman Peaks in order to measure the community’s support for the proposal. Reflecting a culmination of efforts by them and so many others, this bill was initiated by the Bonner County community and now, appropriately, its outcome will be determined by the community.

For more than 10 years, the county commissioners and you, the people of Bonner County, have been engaged in a thoughtful dialogue about this issue. I listened carefully to the county commissioners and

in Congress, I held two open houses in Hope and Clark Fork, where nearly 600 Idahoans came to voice their opinions. At the open houses, my staff displayed information and worked alongside specialists from the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, so people with questions about any aspect of wilderness could get answers.

After seeing the information and asking questions, people Sen. Jim Risch. had the opportunity to submit comments and tell me put a lot of reliance on their what they thought about what opinion. At least twice since they saw and heard. Over2006, various commissioners whelmingly, I was told people have presented unanimous were ready to see the proposal support to the Idaho congresadvance. sional delegation in requesting From day one, this has wilderness designation, most been a local, grassroots effort recently in 2015. I have been in Bonner County. And after very impressed by their dilimany years of collaboration, gence over the years and by the on May 15, you will get to broad coalition of support they vote up or down. I encourage have aggregated. Scotchman everyone to study the issue Peaks is unique because of that personally and make a reabroad support. soned decision as to whether When I introduced the the proposal is appropriate legislation at the end of 2016, without reference to mine or I did so to listen and to get a anyone else’s name associated better sense of where you stood with it. I would then urge you on the idea of a wilderness to vote as you deem appropridesignation. The decision is not ate, and however it turns out, I mine, it is yours. am proud of the community’s After introducing language work on this issue and to have

been part of it and I will of course honor the outcome of the election.

Sen. Jim Risch is one of Idaho’s two senators serving in Washington, D.C. He previously served as the 39th and 41st Lieutenant Governor of Idaho and the 31st Governor of Idaho.

Vikings wanted

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Calling all Vikings! The SKåL Taproom, 476930 HWY 95 in Ponderay, is hosting their second annual Viking Fest Thursday, May 17 and they’re seeking Vikings to participate.

SKåL is interested if there are any Renaissance fair vendors that would like to set up for the weekend and celebrate Norway’s Independence.

Manager Lisa Campbell said anyone interested in vending their Viking wares at the Viking Fest contact her at (208) 265-6163.

The second annual Viking Fest on May 17 will feature tons of activities like scavender hunt bike rides with prizes and awards, live music, food from Edelwagen Food Truck, drink specials and more.

Bouquets: • A funny thing happens when the snow melts downtown: we are faced with the evidence of our winter bad habits. I don’t know about you, but I hate hate hate litter. With a passion. During winter, with all those evidence-hiding mounds of snow, it’s easy to let your dog poop and not clean it up, or toss that cigarette butt, or plastic bottle. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong.

When the snow melts, we then get to observe the awesome way fecal matter looks after sitting in moisture for three months. I’m trying to pick up a piece of litter every day on my walk to the office. Just think of the improvement if we all did this. Hint hint. Wink wink.

Guest Submission: “On behalf of Community Assistance League I’d like to express our sincere appreciation to the Sandpoint community for the generous donations being delivered to our store, Bizarre Bazaar. We have been very blessed recently with some delightful items coming in which helps so much with our mission of giving all proceeds back to the community through Grants and Scholarships.”

-Submitted by Marilyn Haddad Barbs •I feel like I keep pointing the blunt end of this Barb column toward our downtown traffic revision. I hate to be one of those complainers, and there are truly some aspects of the transformation that have improved the flow downtown, but that crazy lazy roundabout at the intersection of First Ave. and Bridge St. is just a nightmare. Every time I’m heading south on First and have to turn left toward City Beach, the same thing happens: I’m inside the intersection after passing my yield sign, turning left, and the driver on First heading north just whizzes right through the yield sign because they think (quite naturally) that a turning car has to yield to them. Let’s get this clear, Sandpoint: If you have a yield sign, YIELD. The turning traffic does have the right of way if they are inside the intersection and you are still approaching your yield sign. I’m curious how many fender benders will happen at this intersection before the city finally replaces those yield signs with stop signs.

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ELECTION COVERAGE Bonner County Commissioner District 3

Profile of Dan McDonald

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

Editor’s Note: Dan McDonald is running as a Republican for Bonner County Commissioner, District 3, a seat he currently holds.

Sandpoint Reader: Tell me about your history in North Idaho.

Dan McDonald: I first came here in ‘79. My wife’s family is from here, all born and raised. We were dating, we came here to visit, and I had the typical Long Bridge experience and went, “Oh my god, I have to live here.” I lived in the Napa Valley, which is a beautiful area as well, but it didn’t hold a candle to this. I wanted to find work here, but couldn’t find work for years, and finally in 1996 I was recruited by a company, and they said I could live anywhere in

Dan McDonald AT A GLANCE AGE: 58, 59 in June BIRTHPLACE AND RESIDENCE: Birthplace: Napa, Calif., Residence is 287 Esther Ln., off Sunnyside Road.

GOVERNMENT SERVICE: County commissioner. Prior to that no government service but a good deal of charitable volunteerism.

PROFESSION: County commissioner, Prior to that I was a commercial roof consultant and prior to that I ran a large company.

EDUCATION: Two years of college, Professional training in a number of discipline with respect to business operations, Auto CAD, blah, blah blah FAMILY: Wife, three kids, five grand kids, three dogs and two cats.

FUN FACT: I’m a singer and musician. I also raced dirt bikes competitively back when I was younger. Hosted a political talk radio show for years here locally and was involved in the Big Boy Ballet Company.

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the country I wanted. We moved here literally almost overnight and planted roots.

SR: How would you describe your experience as a commissioner? Has it been different than you anticipated?

DM: When I ran for office I said I would learn the job before I took office, because so many people get elected and then they’re thrown into it — it’s like learning how to swim by being thrown off a boat. The job I had before (being elected commissioner) gave me a lot of free time, so I spent a great deal of time at the (county administration) building working with the commissioners, going through budgets, talking to department heads. I spent time on my own dime hanging out the year I was running so I could hit the ground running. So for the most part, I knew the job.

SR: Your claim to fame so far is that you cut $8.5 million from the county budget. Where did the lion’s share of that money come from? I think it’s easy to gloss over those things, but I’d appreciate if you’d use some more specificity.

DM: The headline is, “We cut $8.5 million without cutting a single service.” There were some personnel that went away but for the most part it came from little nooks and crannies. I went through the budget line by line.

There were little things like Road and Bridge had a diesel and gas budget of $550,000 a year. But when you looked at what they had actually used over the last five years, they only used $125,000 to $130,000 a year. So every year that money was being spent on something else, as bureaucrats typically do. My goal was that the budget would be realistic, and to create some limits for department heads. We didn’t do an across-the-

board 13 percent cut — although we did cut 13 percent — but it was more of, “OK, let’s look at each item line by line to find out where the fat is.”

SR: There are some issues dominating the news in the county lately, like Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, the Newport smelter, the second rail bridge — where do you stand on these issues?

DM: I’m opposed to (Scotchman Peaks Wilderness), and I’ll tell you why. It limits the amount of people that can actually use it, and it also limits forest maintenance. If people don’t like the forest fires we had, and all the smoke last year, look at where those generated from: wilderness areas.

I’d like to see (the area) managed because management actually leads to healthier forest and habitat. Plus, it should be multiple use.

I worked with a group to negotiate a compromise plan with (Friends of Scotchman Peaks) where we gave them a trail with no motorized or wheeled vehicles and then set aside the scenic peaks, but they wanted all or nothing.

With the smelter, I don’t have a position. I don’t like dirty air or dirty water, but what we’ve seen with the whole smelter discussion is we’re putting the argument before the process. There is a legal process in place, which is to go through the permitting process.

If we see that the individual or collective emissions are above acceptable levels, if the transportation plan isn’t good, if the site line mitigation plan isn’t good, then this board will stand opposed to it.

However, if those things happen, we won’t need to because the Washington Department of Ecology won’t permit it — they’ve got a really hardcore track record for that. Part of the (smelter issue’s) problem is it’s become an emotional argument instead of a fact-based argument.

I am completely for the second rail bridge. This is another issue where misinformation rules the day. People say it will increase train traffic, but train traffic is driven by demand. Let’s say they don’t build the second bridge and demand increases — we’re going to see more trains blocking roads, and more issues with trains sitting around idling in the county. When those trains sit and idle, they put out more emissions than when they just pass through.

SR: You’re really vocal on Facebook, and some see you as a bully or that you’re trying to push views. Do you see it that way?

DM: If you look at my posts, typically they are to correct the record. Facebook is both a blessing and curse. It’s a good way to communicate, but it also allows misinformation to travel at a rapid pace. You can go through and look at my posts, and I don’t think I’ve ever bullied anybody.

Some people feel bullied when I actually state facts, but mostly people don’t like me posting on Facebook because I’m stating facts that disagree with their opinion. I do a lot of research and reading, and I base my arguments on facts. I don’t make emotional arguments. One of the things I saw with previous boards is no one communicated. It was something I committed to — I wanted to be accessible, and people love that. This is a 24/7 job.

SR: Acknowledging the fact that you’re the most conservative member of the current board, how do you separate your vocal personal ideologies from the job in order to represent everyone?

DM: It’s simple. I use facts and logic. Ideology really just steers my opinion, but it doesn’t steer my decision-making process.

A prime example is my support for the Schweitzer conservation easement. The people on the left were shocked that I supported it, but I looked at the facts.

Traditionally, I’m against conservation easements, primarily because it keeps land from ever being potentially developed. But Schweitzer, specifically, I looked at the economic value of it. All the money Schweitzer will get from that easement, if they win it, will stay here. Now, conversely, I have people on the right coming after me saying, “Dan’s gone to the dark side.” The base ideology that I believe in is government should be efficient, and it shouldn’t spend more money than it has.

ELECTION COVERAGE Bonner County Commissioner District 3

Profile of Carol Kunzeman

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Editor’s Note: Former Ponderay Mayor Carol Kunzeman is running as a Republican for Bonner County Commissioner, District 3.

Sandpoint Reader: To begin, can you tell us about why you decided to enter this race?

Carol Kunzeman: I wanted to be county commissioner quite a few years ago when I became mayor. And the reason I couldn’t run is because my husband worked at the county. So that never was going to happen as long as he worked there. The real reason I’m running is nothing personal against Mr. McDonald. It’s because two years ago, when I chose not to run for a third term as mayor, I thought my life was going in a different direction. I thought I was going to retire, and we were going to travel, and that was it. Then my husband ran for (Ponderay) City Council.

So that tied us up for at least four years. So I thought, “I need a job. I want a job.”

I had to think, “What is your passion?” I love decision making, I love helping people. I love making a difference. … The timing just happened to be that an election was coming, and so I did it, and I’m in it to win it.

SR: What are some of the most pressing issues that you see in the county right now?

CK: The more I meet people, and the more I listen to what they have to say, the more I see how much division there is in the county. Even at the state level, it’s become very divided. I don’t think as a county, local politics should be so political. It’s about working for the people, all the people, and it doesn’t matter if they’re way off to this side or that side or stuck in the middle. But somewhere along the line, a lot of voices stopped being heard. … I think my track record shows I’m not a divider. I want to bring people together.

SR: It’s true some people argue that local government should be more about focusing on issues

that impact people’s lives than pursuing a particular ideology.

CK: Exactly. I don’t believe in ideologies or partisan politics.

I mean, I do, because I am a Republican, … but I’ve always worked better with people who think opposite from me. I learn from that, and while it won’t necessarily sway me, it gives me other perspectives that I haven’t thought about. As mayor, I actually put someone on my council who was my exact opposite, who wasn’t a yes person, wasn’t going to always agree but was always going to do a good job.

It’s the same way with my relationship with (former Sandpoint Mayor) Gretchen Hellar. Politcally we were polar opposites, but we wanted the same thing … and that’s what I think people are not seeing in the county today. A few select people seem to be heard more than others in the county.

SR: What’s your read on the population of Bonner County as you’ve been meeting people?

CK: I’ve been meeting lots of people from all over the county — lots of different political persuasions, so I feel I’m doing well. The bottom line is elections should have choices, and I am that choice. I think people are happy to see the experience (I’m bringing to the table.)

SR: Speaking of county operations, do you have any concerns with the way it is being run?

For example, some people are concerned with changes made to the planning department over the last few years.

CK: Having the experience of running a city, there’s a reason why you have regulations and ordinances and things like that. This isn’t such a huge government that you can’t follow those. … If you don’t set your guidelines, and follow the guidelines, you can get into some serious trouble. … If you take away regulations, you’ll be causing problems for people downstream as they are trying to get loans for houses. If you don’t pay attention to what uniform building code is,

that doesn’t make any sense to me.

I think you’re going to see that out of Kootenai County. They’re doing that now, and I think it’s a mistake.

People have a right to buy property and know the house is going to be sound, that it’s going to be safe.

SR: What are the issues people are most concerned about based on what you’ve heard?

CK: People are always complaining about roads. That’s always a tough issue. I think taxpayers want decent roads, and you need them for commerce, you need them for emergency reasons. It’s always nice to say you’re saving so much money, but maybe you should put that money back into helping some people in different areas. We have a lot of unpaved roads in this county, and the more roads you build, the more maintenance there is. I doubt seriously we’ll see all the roads paved, but it doesn’t take too much to get out of town and you are on unpaved roads. It’s kind of difficult for people.

I also hear that people can’t get decent phone service. They can’t get internet. In Sandpoint you have the luxury of quite a few options, but the further out you go, you don’t have many options.

SR: Let’s talk about issues that have been getting a lot of attention lately. For instance, the smelter: Where do you stand on that?

CK: I think I’m the only one running who has said straight off the top: I don’t want it. If you were born here, that’s a luxury, but for those of us who came here, we chose a place that has clean air, clean water, beautiful surroundings, natural resources, and we want it to stay that way.

Even though I know there’s a legal permitting process that will go through the state of Washington, and I know they have strict requirements, I don’t want it. And I think we have to be very vigilant and do due diligence and be ready if that starts to go through.

Because if it’s a quarter as bad as what they say it’s going to be

— if you can believe the things you’ve been told — it’s just not right. It’s terrible that there are people desperate for those jobs, but they come at what cost? So I’m out strong: I don’t want it.

But I understand it’s a state issue, and they’ll take care of it.

SR: How about the second rail bridge? What are your thoughts there?

CK: I’m for that bridge. And I’m for it for a couple reasons.

One is … that trains are so much longer now, and there’s more of them, and we need places to put those trains. As it stands now, we have issues with people at the crossings. They’re sitting there waiting for those trains to go by. And I think the railroad does a pretty good job of trying to do it at night. But this is the bottleneck. And every train coming from the east or every train going to the west is going to go through here. That is not going to change. For safety purposes, we need a second bridge, and I think it will be built and maintained very well. The railroad is the one that does all the commerce, and what it does in keeping the trucks off the road saves us all. We’re not going to stop buying things, so we need the railroad as much as the railroad needs us.

SR: In closing, is there any particular message you want to send out to voters?

CK: I want people to understand that my 13 years of public service and eight years as mayor has given me the education and experience I need. The changes that we made in Ponderay — the SPOT bus, the park that the LOR Foundation just gave the city $500,000 to put into place — I’m very, very proud of. I hope people see I’m task oriented, I get good results, I’m good with people, I

understand government and this isn’t my first rodeo. This is my fourth election. At this level, it’s a totally different thing, but I know I could make a difference.

Carol Kunzeman AT A GLANCE AGE: 70 is the new 50 BIRTHPLACE AND RESIDENCE: Santa Monica, Calif. Idaho resident for 26 years, lives in Ponderay.

GOVERNMENT SERVICE: 13 years in public service. Five years on City Council, eight years as Ponderay mayor. I chose not to run a third term.

PROFESSION: Administrator, executive secretary under presidental level at General Motors and Hughes Aircraft where we built satellites for space and communication. Executive secretary at Volvo of America. Small business owner: infant daycare, wedding florist and event planner, preschool owner and Granny Thimbles Quilt Cottage.

FAMILY: Married my high school sweetheart Gary Kunzeman. May 16th will be our 54th wedding anniversary. Three children, two grandchildren, one very spoiled 16-year-old Bichon Frise puppy who runs our house.

FUN FACT: I hung up on the White House twice because I thought it was a prank call. It wasn’t.

Chief Protocol Office wanted me to make floral arrangements for President Ronald Reagan’s return to California. Huge honor.

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Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist “You won’t BELIEVE what we’re talking about today.”

“Here’s 10 COOL THINGS to look for...”

Fake news has been something of a buzzword in the media lately. It’s scary, and it makes you question the legitimacy of everything you read, but you might be surprised to know it’s not new at all.

We’ve been spreading fake news for as long as we figured out lying to other people can be occasionally profitable. So, what exactly is fake news, and why does it matter?

Contrary to what some people believe, news isn’t fake just because it disagrees with your opinion. Here are some telling signs of fake news: It’s sensationalist. Does the headline go out of the way to really grab your attention and pull you in? Does it seem too good to be true? Usually, this attention-mongering is followed up by a fairly mundane, meandering article. Did it get you to buy the paper it was attached to? Then the title did its job.

It’s poorly researched.

Research can be time-consuming, but anything you’re curious about is a quick Google and CTRL+F search away. If a news article seems too good to be true, check their sources.

It is extremely biased. Heavily biased articles use language in a way to appeal to someone with a certain set of beliefs and enrage another. It is intentionally controversial and divisive, and will often omit or fabricate details in order to appeal to one side or another, left or right. We rarely get everything we want in 12 /

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Brought to you by:

fake news

life, and if our news source only validates us, we’re missing lots of important information.

Fake news has had many different names throughout history. (“Number 3 will BLOW YOUR MIND…”) Yellow journalism. Coined in the 1890s, it was dubbed this at a height of a journalistic war between William Hearst’s New York Journal and Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World, characterized by loud, bold titles and fantastical illustrations designed to draw readers into otherwise uninteresting news. It was dubbed “yellow journalism” because of the yellow ink used in the publications. This would later evolve into tabloid journalism you see at the supermarket today.

Propaganda. This is a broad term for massive campaigns run through the 1900s. The Soviets were infamous for their extensive use of propaganda media blitzes, which was ironically reused by the American government as a counterpoint in its own propaganda. A propaganda media blitz was characteristically a bombardment of inescapable patriotism and fear tactics mixed into news cycles. Modern fake news and traits of “post-factual politics” take traits of early propaganda by appealing to fear and other emotional responses rather than facts and reason.

Clickbait. This is a new form that serves an old purpose (with a few new twists). Catchy, easily-accessible links on websites pique your curiosity and get you to click on the article. When you click, you generate traffic for the website. Advertisers pay the website for every click the website generates. Some websites will also hide malicious

code into the page that will take over the page and demand immediate action under threat of something bad. “Click this NOW or your information could be sold to Russian hackers!” That is called scareware, and the action of clicking anything will usually install additional malware on your device, which will be sold to a third party regardless of your actions.

Satire. Though not as malicious as the other types of fake news, it’s important to identify satire news articles from websites like The Onion, which makes fake news articles for the sake of entertainment (they’re usually pretty funny). However, some people struggle to differentiate satire from real news, as was evidenced when an article was circulated in warning by John Fleming, a congressman from Louisiana, about Planned Parenthood opening an $8 billion dollar “Abortionplex” with The Onion as a source.

On its own, fake news doesn’t seem like a very big deal, but it has a snowball effect.

If you read something that scares you, it’s your instinctual response to let someone else know.

This either assuages your fears, or alerts members of your tribe that something is wrong. You tell two people, who tell two people, then you quickly start dealing with exponents, and suddenly a story about Chuck Schumer using heat vision to blow up a bus full of orphaned sea turtles can escalate from ridiculous to blood-in-the-water media frenzy.

Luckily, you can protect yourself from damaging fake news. “You won’t believe what happens next…”

Check the title. Have you noticed what I’ve been doing

through this whole article? It’s an old yellow journalism trick to give you a taste in hopes you’ll come back for the payoff. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Listicles are a popular form of clickbait that use this trick to keep pulling in traffic.

Check the source. Is it a trusted outlet? Does it have an obvious political tilt? Does the author even exist? If they can’t fit sources in print, an image should always have a source.

Read more. Sharing an article after only reading the headline is the primary way fake news spreads.

Ask a librarian. Our primary job description is to research stuff.

If something seems hokey or too good to believe, ask us about it!

We can equip you with all of the tools and knowledge you need to combat a fake news epidemic.

Interested in learning more?

Come give us a visit at the library. Mike Bauer recently hosted a series of programs discussing and highlighting fake news. If you missed out, give us a visit and let us know you’d like another program. With enough interest, we could run another series.

Stay smart!

Random Corner anda?

Don’t know much about propag

We can help!

•You’ve probably heard that carrots improve your night vision. While carrots are beneficial to your vision (because they contain Vitamin A in the form of beta carotene), their ocular benefits have been grossly exaggerated. The myth comes thanks mostly to WWII-era propaganda from the British, who wanted to keep their radar secret from Germans during the Battle of Britain, so they started a campaign claiming carrots gave their pilots night vision.

•Before the 1910s, nobody much cared about body odor. But, in 1912, a woman named Edna Murphy realized that a hand-drying formula developed by her surgeon father would work on armpits. After an aggressive marketing campaign, people suddenly began caring about how they smelled and the deoderant industry was born.

•Speaking of armpits, before World War I, it wasn’t such a big deal that women had hairy legs and armpits. In 1915, Gillette launched the Milady Décolleté, a woman’s razor, and with it a campaign informing women that they should have hairless pits and legs. The ads didn’t establish why women should shave — just that they should.

•When it comes to ancient Rome, orgies often come to mind, but that was actually a rumor started by Christians. Ancient Romans were actually quite prudish, but early Christians appealed to that prudishness by making up stories about non-Chrisitans being depraved and nasty.

•Before 1975, when you had a mark on your face, most people just assumed it was a zit, not that you had herpes. But, that year, Burroughs Wellcome developed a drug that helped alleviate herpes symptoms. Up to that time, the disease was viewed as about as awkward as a zit, but after the ad campaign, it turned herpes into a stigma-laden STD.

FEATURE

Idaho’s ongoing battle against CBD oil Supporters are gearing up for another shot next year after a CBD oil bill was held in committee and killed

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

The 2018 legislative session has concluded. While Idaho lawmakers passed a variety of legislation that championed conservative causes such as tax relief, restricting abortion, allowing teachers to train to carry firearms, they still have myopia when it comes to legalizing the medical usage of cannabidiol, or CBD oil.

CBD hemp oil is extracted from a cannabis plant, but contains little or no tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical responsible for the pschoactive high.

Supporters have claimed CBD oil has helped reduce seizures in children with epilepsy, as well as acting as a medical supplement that helps with everything from stress to anxiety and depression.

Opponents of the extract claim it will provide a gateway toward legalizing marijuana usage in Idaho.

While THC and CBD are derived from the same cannabis sativa plant, known widely as marijuana, the two compounds are quite distinct. Over the years, marijuana farmers have bred their plants to be very high in THC to maximize the high produced when smoking marijuana. Hemp farmers, on the other hand, tend not to modify the plant, since THC production is not the intended byproduct. It is these hemp plants that are used to create CBD oil.

In 2015, Idaho lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1146aa, otherwise known as “Alexis’ Law,” which would have provided a legal defense for parents of children who use CBD oil for relief from severe epileptic seizures.

When the bill reached Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s desk, however, despite the large amount of sup-

Illustration by Daniel Cape.

port from both sides of the aisle, he vetoed it.

“Of course I sympathize with the heartbreaking dilemma facing some families trying to cope with the debilitating impacts of the disease,” Otter wrote with his veto. “(The bill) asks us to legalize the limited use of cannabidiol oil, contrary to federal law. And it asks us to look past the potential of misuse and abuse with criminal intent.”

In response to the veto, Idaho resident Katie Donahue said that she literally prayed for death because she couldn’t find a way to treat her seizures.

“I am deeply saddened at the freedom Butch Otter continues to deny extremely ill Idahoans,” she said in a statement in 2015 to Reason. “I am devastated for the children who will continue forced suffering from diseases as well as stigma. I am sickened to think of families from other states having success with cannabinoid therapy not being able to experience the beauty of Idaho because freedom has been replaced with fascism.”

Trying Again Three years later, in the 2018 legislative session, Rep. Dorothy

Moon, R-Stanley, tried again.

Moon introduced House Bill 410, aiming to legalize the medical use of CBD oil in Idaho.

“When I was running for office, I was hearing a lot about CBD oil,” said Moon. “Many of my constituents from Gem County said they were using it for fibromyalgia and having success with it.”

HB410 intended to regulate the usage of CBD oil through a registration program, which Moon said was a stipulation to “appease most of the legislators so it wasn’t going to be carte blanche for CBD oil in the state, because it would be very difficult in a conservative state to get this through unless we had some sort of registration.”

However, as many pointed out, by registering to use a product extracted from a marijuana plant, users would have potentially lost their Second Amendment right to bear arms. The Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibits anyone from possessing guns if they use or are addicted to cannabis.

“I had quite a bit of input and talked to the Health and Welfare chair,” said Moon. “I asked if he thought I could get it through without the registration card. People didn’t like the idea of having a database with their information in it.”

Moon revamped the bill into a new version, House Bill 577, which struck the registration stipulation. It passed the Health

and Welfare committee unanimously and went onto the House floor, where it was passed with a supermajority vote and sent on to the Senate. A supermajority vote means the bill would have been “veto proof” if passed in the Senate.

“I went and spoke with Sen. Heider the day after it passed with a House supermajority, and he said that he would give me a hearing the following week,” said Moon. “Well, I went in on Monday and he said he doesn’t want to give me a hearing because the governor did not want to see it on his desk. So there it sat. A lot of people called in, a lot of people begged him, but he wouldn’t do it.”

Sen. Lee Heider, R-Twin Falls, was criticized for violating Idaho’s open meeting law last month when he interrupted the introduction of the bill by Sen. Tony Potts, R-Twin Falls, and took the meeting inside his office without members of the public or reporters present.

“If anyone on this committee wants to talk about this, they can do so in my office,” Heider declared.

The majority of the panel gathered in Heider’s office to discuss Potts’ motion. AP reporter Kimberlee Kruesi reported that yells could be heard from inside Heider’s office.

“The governor doesn’t want this bill, the prosecutors don’t

want this bill, the office on drug policy doesn’t want this bill,” shouted Heider, who was easily heard through the door.

Heider later apologized for violating the open meeting law in a statement to his committee. All votes taken prior to that violation were stricken. Heider said that he was to blame for the violation, but since no subsequent votes attempted to bring the bill to the Senate floor, it was a no harm, no foul situation.

“The committee didn’t vote to hold the bill in the drawer,” said Heider. “Nor did the committee vote to bring it out. So I continued to hold it in the drawer. That’s really where this story ends.”

Heider claimed to have had more opponents than supporters for the bill, which influenced his decision.

“I had about two inches of email paper from people that didn’t like this bill,” said Heider.

“Everybody in law enforcement did not like this bill. They thought it opened the door to marijuana.”

Heider said he had “about half as many” pages from people who wanted it for their children with epilepsy and others to use.

“I’d rather be on the side of law enforcement than be on the side of people who want to use marijuana,” said Heider.

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Open Mic with Kevin Dorin 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall All levels of performers welcome. Come to participate, or just to listen. Food by Edelwagen Food Truck. Free!

Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Live Music w/ Mostly Harmless 6-8pm @ Cedar St. Bistro Wine Bar Covers from the 1960s to today Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 7-10pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Live Music w/ Ron Greene 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall w/ friends Justyn Priest & Brian Burke

f

Better Breathers Clu 1pm @ BGH classroo Topics include, “Nav surance and Commun es”, and “The Effect Hand Smoke.” (208)

Live Music w/ Ben and Cadie 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Multi-instrumental duo Live Music w/ Kerry Leigh 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Laid back singer/songwriter Live Music at the Farmhouse 6-8pm @ Farmhouse Kitchen

Live Musi 8-11pm @ Classic roc Sandpoin 7pm @ Sa A commun tradition suggested

Second Saturday Artist w/ Marsha Lutz Live M 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 9pm @ Kick off a new monthly event by attending this Local art reception and see an ‘eclectic mix of world Sprin Live Music w/ Chris O’Murchu travel photography’ by Marsha Lutz. Her art 1pm @ 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery will be on display through April. Suggested $5 Sign u Latin music at the Winery minimun donation requested to benefit North day of Pond Skim Live Music w/ John Firshi Idaho Mountain Sports Education Fund 1-3pm @ S 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Spring Cornhole Classic Tournament Located at A great collection of songs 1pm @MickDuff’s Beer Hall Escape Qu Live Music w/ Mostly Harmless Rain or shine! Sign up at 11am, $10/per- Skimming 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall son, $20/team ing weeke Shrek the Musical Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” parent/gua 2pm @ SHS Auditorium 7pm @ The Heartwood Center lease. Priz

Live Music w/ Jake Robin 6-8pm @ Cedar St. Bistro Wine Bar Soulful guitar and lyrics

Sandpoint Chess Club LAST After “Sunday Solution” at the Winery Closin 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee It’s bee 12-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Meets every Sunday at 9am Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Night-Out Karaoke 9pm @ 219 Lounge Join DJ Pat for a night of singing, or just come to drink and listen

Trivia Night 7-9pm @ MickDuff’s Grab a seat early, they go fast! Test your useless knowledge!

Wind Down Wednesday 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge With live music by blues man Truck Mills, who will be joined by special guest Arthur Goldblum Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry Live Music w/ Wyatt Wood 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall PNW talent headed for tour

Free Teen Center Program • 3:30pm @ All teens are welcome for a library-spon librarian with the Sandpoint Library. For Childbirth Education Classes 6pm @ Bonner General Health Health Serv Bldg #101 Call (208) 265-7484 for more info

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Live Music w/ Ian Gaddie 5-8pm @ SKåL Taproom Join Ian on the acoustic guitar and his wife on bass. Cul River General Store and Flying Fish Co smoked salmo Limited seating and food options available, so come ea

Adult Grief Support Group 6pm @ BGH classroom Are you experiencing grief due to a loss of a loved one?

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Live Music w/ Ethereal in 7-10pm @ Eichardt’s Pub CDA-based artist who s cializes in playing the ha pan with a bluesy style

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Live Music w/ Double Down Band 8-11pm @ 219 Lounge Classic rock, country, blues and Americana Sandpoint Contra Dance 7pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall A community dance in the New England radition - all dances taught and called. $5 uggested donation. Bring comfy shoes

April 12 - 19, 2018

A weekly entertainment guide to keep you on your toes. To list your event free, please send an email to calendar@sandpointreader.com.

Reader recommended

Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” (April 13-14) 7pm @ The Heartwood Center One of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies gets a hilarious and action-packed 1940s redux. Adapted and directed by Jeremiah and Skye Campbell, and including some beautiful original music, this fast-paced, witty romance is full of cross-dressing, mistaken identity, hijinks, and true love. $14 general, $12 students/seniors Shrek the Musical 7pm @ SHS Auditorium Everyone’s favorite ogre, in play form, presented by Growing Dreams Productions Inc. and Sandpoint High School Mime & Masque. $12/adult, $10/kids 10 and under

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Second Saturday Artist Feature 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery April’s artist is Marsha Lutz! All are invited to a reception Live Music w/ Muffy & the Riff Hangers of her “eclectic mix of world travel photography” and live 9pm @ 219 Lounge music from Chris O’Murchu. $5 suggested donation is Local bluegrass group ld Spring Cornhole Classic tournament (rain or shine) rt 1pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall A Novel Night Gala $5 Sign up early by calling (208) 209-6700 or show up the 5:30pm @ Columbia Bank Atrium th day of between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. First toss at 1 p.m.

Dress up as your favorite book character, Pond Skimming at Schweitzer enjoy Literary Libations, bid on art and epic 1-3pm @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort Yoga on Tap experiences, savor amazing cuisine and artiLocated at the bottom of JR and Great 11am @ Laughing Dog san desserts, and score an artistic centerpeice Escape Quad, test your skills at Pond Brewery hand crafted by library staff, plus much more.

Skimming during Schweitzer’s clos- One hour class that ends Organized by Sandpoint Rotary and The Ling weekend. Under 18 must have with the group having brary to help outfit the new Teen Lounge parent/guardian present to sign a re- a beer together. $12 in- and other Rotary projects. Tickets $80. Call cludes your first beer ease. Prizes!

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It’s been a hell of a season - thanks everyone!

3:30pm @ Sandpoint Teen Center (104 S. Division St.) rary-sponsored game or STEAM activity. Hosted by Morgan Gariepy, teen brary. For this week’s theme, call Morgan at 208-263-6930 ext. 1245

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Bonner Partners in Care Fundraiser Five Minutes of Fame Open 5-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Mic “Wrap-Up” Support a good cause with live music 6:30pm @ Cafe Bodega info

by Marty Perron and Doug Bond, plus After 20 years, it’s the last Five there will be raffle prizes and compli- Minutes of Fame! All are welmentary appetizers come. Dessert potluck party Beer Hall Bingo bass. Culinary options available from Pack 6:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall ked salmon in small plates and Kale salads. It’s back, and it’s free. Bring your o come early for the best of both. own markers Basic Irrigation for Gardening Magic Wednesday Ethereal in E 6-8pm @ Ponderay Event Center 6-8pm @ Jalapeño’s ardt’s Pub Sean Mitzel will explore prinMagician Star Alexander perst who speciples of irrigation design and forms amazing “close-up” ng the hand techniques for maintaining inexmagic right at your table! Fun y style pensive irrigation entertainment for all ages

April 19 Paint and Sip party @ the Pottery Bug April 19-20 Shrek the Musical @ SHS Auditorium April 20 Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Band @ The Hive

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thanks for making us the #1 Country station April 12, 2018 /

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< CBD con’t from page 14 >

A variety of CBD hemp oil extracts for sale at Global CBD in Sandpoint. Photo by Ben Olson.

Small Business woes

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For Joel Bordeaux, co-owner of Global CBD in Sandpoint, which offers a product line of CBD oil extracted from hemp and is therefore legal to use in Idaho, the killing of the bill stemmed from the inability for some Idaho lawmakers to view CBD oil in a different light than marijuana usage.

“It’s legal to use hemp-extracted CBD oil in Idaho, per Idaho code as it’s written,” said Bordeaux. “It contains no THC, so you’re not breaking the law. We’ve had the drug task force come in and buy one of every one of our products.”

Bordeaux said in the two years his business has offered CBD oil, it has taken off exponentially.

“We’ve easily got a thousand people using our product regularly right now,” said Bordeaux. “We helped a store open in Idaho Falls. Pilgrims, Winter Ridge, Vapor Creek, Cloud Cafe. There are naturopathic doctors in North Carolina, Pennsylvania. Veternarians in Spokane, Sandpoint.

We’ve even got some stuff going to Trinidad Tobago.”

Bordeaux said it’s been an uphill battle trying to market the product in Idaho, one of the 20 states in the U.S. that have no laws legalizing recreational or medicinal usage of cannabis.

“In the beginning, it was frustrating, especially trying to reach into southern Idaho,” he said. “Stores would literally think we were undercover police officers trying to trick them. That was a year ago. Now, we have people calling us.”

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205 N. 1st Ave., Sandpoint • 855.733.7223 • GlobalCBD.com 16 /

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Moon is equally frustrated that the mentality remains focused on the psychoactive nature of THC, not on the medicinal properties of CBD oil, which doesn’t produce a high when taken.

“It’s disheartening, because there are a lot of kids who need to use this CBD oil and have been, but they’re forced to use it

illegally,” said Moon. “What some people don’t realize is that if these kids go to hospital and they’re tested, and let’s say they find THC in their system, these parents are in fear of losing their kids.”

Moon said a few factors will always be a hurtle to overcome: “We are a conservative state, and we have a pretty much conservative legislature,” she said. “Also, if you want to try to move a pathway for legality, you’re going to have to have some sideboards on that. The bill has to include a visit to your doctor, and some groups don’t like that. … I don’t see any problem with seeing your doctor, though. It’s between you and your physician what you need.”

By refusing to allow the bill to be brought out of committee onto the senate floor, Heider made clear his vociferous objection to any bill that makes legalizing marijuana easier. He stands by the decision.

“It was my decision and I held it,” said Heider. “I’m happy that I did, although I know there was a great controversy about it. … I’m not in favor of marijuana use.”

Rep. Moon said she will reintroduce the bill next year.

“I’ve got some different tactics,” she said. “After the election, I’ll see who is the chair and the committees like State Affairs and Health and Welfare, and kind of guide it in the right direction. When it comes to Heider, I was hoping he was going to be a man of his word, but he was not.”

Moon said many of her constituents, including a lot of senior citizens, are interested in legalizing CBD oil in Idaho.

She hopes that conservative lawmakers like herself will someday be able to differentiate between the medically-beneficial CBD oil from the illegal use of marijuana.

“You hear all these stories about people using it with success, and you think, my god, I don’t have a dog in this fight,” said Moon. “I’m not using it, my family is not using it, but I have a lot of constituents who use it, and they want a legal pathway.

That’s what this bill was all about.”

PERSPECTIVES

Misadventures in Corporate America

In the 1967 summer of love

By Tim Henney Reader Contributor

I

n May, 1967, 51 years ago, the former and honorable Bell Telephone System – honorable, certainly, compared to so many of today’s banking/corporate profiteers – led by parent AT&T (the original, not today’s imitation) installed the 100 millionth U.S. telephone. As luck would have it, that occured in the White House, occupied by Lyndon Baines Johnson.

I had in the preceeding weeks rejoined AT&T’s NYC headquarters staff after a year in Beverly Hills with red-hot Litton Industries. And was moving one 1957 bride, two kids, one baby, two horses and two dogs from Palos Verdes, Calif., to Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. (AT&T paid the bill.

Even flew the horses. It was that kind of company. Socialism at its finest).

The company’s head poobah had the unCEO-ish name of Haakon Ingolf Romnes – tall, lanky, modest 61-year-old son of a Norwegian bakery owner in Stoughton, Wisc. I still had one foot in Palos Verdes, buying a house 3,000 miles away and batching it in a Manhattan hotel when Mr. Romnes shipped me off to Washington, D.C. The charge: involve the U.S. Independent Telephone Association (USITA), 23 Bell System operating companies and AT&T’s Bell Laboratories and Western Electric in organizing a fitting celebration of ourselves. We also intended to goose Bell System engineers into building a custom zillion dollar communications network – (and also an identical backup system, just in case) linking the White House directly to the 50 state governors so the president could talk to them.

Early in my career I had been assigned from New York to Indianapolis to edit the factory newspaper at Western Electric’s sprawling factory where all U.S. telephones were manufactured. Now, 10 years later, like the prodigal son, I reappeared at the factory’s Bell Labs model shop and asked the engineers there to design and then manufacture 150 gold telephones. They thought I was nuts. The instruments were to be indivually engraved, and after the White House ceremony, awarded to President Johnson, 50 state governors, USITA executives and Bell System company presidents – 26 of

them (and even more AT&T senior officers.

In those pre-Walmart, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft years, AT&T was the world’s largest company).

My job was to organize the event, make it happen, then promote it to the public, to shareowners and to more than a million employees nationwide. And write appropriate remarks for LBJ praising AT&T – but not too much. Imply that the relatively insignificant independent telephone companies were the real power here (in 1967 the hugely successful Bell System was under seige to bust it up. Fifteen years later it happened. Too big and too competent. But it didn’t cheat, over-charge or poison its customers for profit).

With a generous expense account I had my pick of D.C. hotels and chose the historic Hay-Adams, across Lafayette Park from the White House. I was to report directly to Mr. Romnes in New York. And I did, especially when some Bell bigshot in California, New England, Wisconsin or wherever told me to get lost, that he had more urgent priorities than some White House whoop-de-do. A phone call from Mr. Romnes and the bigshot’s priorities shifted.

Friends and fellow officers called Mr. Romnes “Hi” – for Haakon Ingolf. I called him “Sir.” As a youngster earlier in the decade, pre-Beverly Hills, I had traveled with him on speaking visits to senior managers around the country. In I962 Mr. Romnes and I landed in Cleveland in a corporate aircraft. Our hosts from the local operating company, Ohio Bell, inexplicably failed to meet the plane. Fortunately, the stars were in alignment, and we spied a Bell Telephone phone booth adjacent to the runway. The chairman of the world’s largest communications company lacked change, but fortunately for my career I coaxed a dime from my pocket. With that dime the head of the world’s biggest business dialed the president of Ohio Bell, who arrived, breathless, in a heartbeat.

On a bright morning in May 1967, some 40 or so white, male guests in dark suits awaited President Johnson in the cabinet room of the White House. Governors of the 50 states stood by in their respective offices, gold phones in hand, Bell company presidents at their sides. In hushed cabinet room attendance, along with Mr. Romnes,

were USITA execs, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and assorted legislators, lobbyists (including AT&T’s), congressional aides and bureaucratic wannabes. We stood in two lines facing the table where the president would place the historic call. I was at one end, and photographer Bill Schropp was at the other, where the president would enter. I looked at Bill, who frowned and shook his head.

Where were his cameras? Stepping from the line, I trotted toward Bill – and right at LBJ, as he stepped into the room.

Two guys sprang from out of the woodwork and grabbed me as others shielded the president. I was searched. And even though Mr. Romnes and the USITA folks leaped to my defense, a secret service guy stayed with me through the ceremony. He had been unimpressed when, gasping in his hammer lock, I had croaked that I had organized this whole gig. His lack of appreciation hurt my feelings. Also my neck.

Despite it being the summer of love, America’s burning cities, civil rights mayhem and murders, noisy hippies and the disintegrating Vietnam war seemed to distract LBJ from the 100 millionth telephone installation. This was no summer of love for him – Vietnam Johnson did not stand for re-election in 1968. VP Hubert Humphrey led the Democrat ticket and, tainted like LBJ for perpetuating that tragic national error (some 3 million military and civilian deaths overall), lost to “Tricky Dick” Nixon. Candidate Bobby Kennedy, had he not been assassinated, might have won it.

But voters elected Nixon, a lying, scheming, paranoid politician – but a sweetheart compared to the immoral, predatory, democracy-hating misanthrope-in-chief we

have today.

LBJ was cranky. At the last minute he vetoed photographs. Worse, he didn’t use my much-labored-over script. Instead he talked affectionately of great aunt Tillie who had served as a telephone operator in Texas. He also refused to talk to the governors, even over gold phones, if a certain governor took part. “I ain’t talkin’ to that sumbitch,” he told the distinguished cabinet room assemblage. In retrospect I’m sure he considered our epic corporate promotion an ill-timed pain in the ass.

Two gold phones incorporating the presidential seal (one contructed for that morning’s unique network call, another for the Johnson ranch and wired for the nationwide regular telephone network) cost $2,500 each to build. In 1967 dollars.

Those given to governors, Bell System officers, key USITA staffers and others cost a paltry $1,500 each. Considering the custom nationwide technical network linking the White House with the state houses, its identical backup system, and hundreds of Bell System engineers, execs, installers, accountants and others assigned to the job, those gold phones wouldn’t have caused a blip on the financial radar.

Two months of Beefeater martinis and a posh Hay-Adams hotel suite might have, however.

I never asked.

Tim Henney retired as director of public relations of the original AT & T in NYC in 1986 and lives in Sandpoint with his 1957 bride, Jacquelynn.

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COMMUNITY

‘The Work’ at the Panida

By Eric Ridgway Reader Contributor “The Work” is a 2017 documentary which has won numerous awards from Film Festivals around the country. It records the transformation of several men as they confront hurts that have happened in their lives, and they go through a process of healing. This healing is at such a deep level that it makes clear that all of us are capable of healing and growing if we are given the right kind of support. What makes this even more inspiring is that it all takes place within the unlikely environment of a maximum security prison!

The rehabilitation program was started 17 years ago at Folsom Prison which has had unheard-of success. The therapy process that is used inside this prison is unconventional and much of the leading is done by the inmates themselves. This process goes far beyond “just talking about” past hurts or transgressions.

Come see how and why this program has so powerfully changed lives. A couple times each year members of the public are invited to come inside the prison to participate in four days of a group process that is as powerful as it is inspirational.

The Sandpoint Men’s Group (SMG) is presenting “The Work” at the Panida Theater on Saturday, April 14, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5.

SMG specifically wishes to invite several populations of people will especially appreciate this film: •Church communities that value outreach, healing and redemption •Fathers who desire a closer relationship with their sons and daughters, or children

– especially sons – who long for a better relationship with their fathers •Mothers, grandmothers, sisters and daughters who see some of the men in their lives struggling and challenged by old wounds and isolation •Recovering communities who know the toll that pain and suffering and despair can have on individuals, couple relationships and families •Law enforcement and those working with the jail system in our society, •The counseling and rehabilitation individuals and agencies who strive to assist all people in recovering from the wounds from their past •Educators who work with others to support everyone in achieving their highest potential, and who recognize that many have challenges from their past which make succeeding in life more difficult •All Individuals who are motivated for personal growth — for themselves or their loved ones, and who haven’t given up hope that there can be a path towards a better future SMG was started 13 years ago and has developed a model of supporting men that is now being taught around the country.

The focus of SMG is to support men in being the best that they can be – as individual men, as husbands, fathers, community members and business leaders.

“The Work” is an independent film which was not given a rating, but SMG suggests an R-rating for some strong language and intense emotions.

Further information about Sandpoint Men’s Group can be found at www.sandpointmensgroup.com.

THE READER IN OLD HAVANA, CUBA

Sandpoint’s Mike Jewell with wife Suzanne, and grand-daughter Isabelle England (from Sandpoint High School): “Enjoying your little publication a few days ago in Old Havana, Cuba. Keep up the good work!”

-Submitted by Mike Jewell.

NAMI Far North Monthly Meeting Brief

By Reader Staff The NAMI Far North (National Alliance on Mental Illness) regular monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 18, at 5:30 p.m. in the old Bonner General Health classroom (the classroom next to cafeteria),

520 N. Third Ave, Sandpoint.

NAMI Far North will host Dr. Mark William Cochran, an award-winning author and speaker, as well as a practicing holistic chiropractor. Dr. Mark will be speaking on “Understanding Your Healing Journey”. In his own life, Dr. Mark has traveled healing

journeys with severe arthritis and more recently, cancer. Despite these challenges he competed in triathlons and marathons.

Today, among other activities, Dr. Mark loves snow-boarding, kayaking and hiking, especially Scotchman Peak.

In this presentation, Dr. Mark will show

us how our health challenges can present some very special gifts--if we allow ourselves to receive them.

Everyone is welcome. If you are living with mental illness, are a family member or are a friend of someone with mental illness, this meeting is for you! Learn about NAMI Far North and what we can do together in Idaho.

When: Wednesday, April 18 at 5:30 p.m.

Where: Bonner General Health classroom

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COMMUNITY

We’re all mad (and supportive) here

Community Cancer Services hosts the Mad Hatter Tea and Ball next weekend

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff In Cindy Marx’s ideal world, she wouldn’t have a job.

But as long as cancer affects the lives of the people around her, the Community Cancer Services program manager said she’ll do what she can to support them — and she hopes the community will, too.

Luckily for locals, support can come in the form of dressing up, sipping tea, mingling and dancing at the Mad Hatter Tea and Ball on April 21 at Tango Cafe.

CCS hosts the annual event to raise money and awareness for their programs, which include individual and group counseling, resources for research, loaned goods and financial support — just to name a few.

This year, the Tea will take place 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and the Ball is 6-10 p.m. The overarching theme is the Queen of Hearts, and dressing up is encouraged.

The Tea consists of an auction and a fashion show by Eve’s Leaves, where the models are CCS clients. Marx said there is rarely a dry eye in the house when their stories are told. She said the Tea typically sells out quickly, so securing tickets early is a must.

Marx said CCS is changing the format for the Ball this year from a dinner to a mingling and dancing event

with a bar and heavy appetizers. There will be games, prizes for best costumes and live music from local band Mostly Harmless.

“The event is eating, drinking, dancing, having fun and supporting a good cause,” she said.

Marx said CCS’s event fundraisers are particularly important because they help fund the non-profit’s operation.

While Marx said she is always applying for grants to provide services, what’s harder is funding all the things that make CCS possible. “(Grant organizations) want reports about how many people we support and all this stuff that takes someone time to manage, but nobody wants to fund the roof over our head or the people in the office,” she said. “You can’t have one without the other. The events we do support all of that.”

Tickets for the Tea are $40/person and $500/sponsor table and tickets for the ball run $50/person, $600/8-person sponsorship. Purchase tickets at communitycancerservices.com or call the CCS office at 208-255-2301.

Marx said there are also open spots on the CCS board and a number of CCS committees right now. Call the office if you’re interested.

Sam Cornett in his dual role as the Mad Hatter.

Photo by Amy Henderson.

(208) 263-1103 815 Pine St., Sandpoint TheWildflowerDaySpa.com 20 /

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STAGE & SCREEN

‘Twelfth Night’ in review

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

It may be William Shakespeare who created an enduring classic in “Twelfth Night,” but it’s local actors and producers who interpreted it like you’ve never seen before.

Local production company Unknown Locals is back with a production of the Shakespeare comedy directed by Jeremiah and Skye Campbell. While fans of the play will recognize the classic story of mistaken identity, court scheming and romantic confusion, the creative team’s 1940s aesthetic choice and introduction of frequent musical interludes bring new vitality to Shakespeare’s work.

The play is a masterwork of comic farce in which its characters, usually ignorant of vital information, blithely stumble into absurd situations. When Viola is separated from her twin brother, Sebastian, in a shipwreck, she disguises herself as a man and enters the service of Duke Orsino. She finds herself enlisted in Orsino’s bid to win the heart of Olivia, a wealthy countess in mourning for her brother and father. Her mission takes an

unexpected twist when Olivia, thinking Viola is a man, falls in love with her even as Viola’s feelings for Duke Orsino deepen.

Complicating matters are scheming noblemen and servants conspiring to make obnoxious steward Malvolio believe Olivia is in love with him. What’s more, Sebastian is at large and creating yet more confusion with his physical similarity to Viola.

The cast of “Twelfth Night” does an excellent job giving life, personality and terrific comic timing to their characters.

In addition to directing the play, Skye and Jeremiah Campbell take on the important roles of Viola and Duke Orsino.

The rest of the cast is filled out familiar faces in the local theater scene, including Cory Repass, Samuel Richardson, Alyssa Hersey, Nathan Hersey, Lucy Bigley, Devan Chamberlain, Myla McKechnie, Burke Palmer, Seneca Cummings, Michael Bigley, Gabe Palmer, Destinee Warren and Yonna Soltis.

While the play is full of witty lines that are memorable in their own right, the actors earned big laughs based on their delivery alone. It’s no easy task to

suppress laughter at Malvolio’s blustery self-aggrandizing, Olivia’s love-sick soliloquies or the drunken scheming of noblemen and servants.

Particularly striking is the music, which was written for the play by Skye Campbell and Samuel Richardson.

Songs are woven naturally into the narrative, sometimes performed alone by Richardson’s character, Feste, and other times by many characters in elaborate set pieces. The music adds a unique spin to a classic play that everyone must experiences for themselves.

“Twelfth Night” debuted last week at the Heartwood Center, concluding with

Members of the ‘Twelfth Night’ cast perform during opening weekend.

Photo by Lisa Palmer. a standing ovation from the audience Friday night. This weekend is your last chance to catch this lovingly-crafted local production. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins 7 p.m. at the Heartwood Center on Friday, April 13, and Saturday, April 14. Tickets are available at Eve’s Leaves, La Chic Boutique and at the door.

The vision of panelized, realized.

www.mehomes.net (208)264-6700

Dan McMahon, Gen. Contractor dan@mebldg.com April 12, 2018 /

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PERSPECTIVES

How to argue (without sounding like an idiot)

By Ben Olson Reader Staff his is the fourth and final part of the “How to Argue” series where we have taken a look at logical fallacies or errors in reasoning that undermine the logic of an argument.

Last week we discussed tu quoque, the big lie and cherry picking fallacies.

Catch up at www.sandpointreader.com

noisy majority, and we’re going to be heard.

We’re going to be heard.”

An explanation: While he commits several logical fallacies in this quote, we’ll focus on the bandwagon fallacy. When President Trump talks about drawing large crowds at his rally, he is attempting to convince the American people that his campaign was the most popular, therefore the most “true” or “good.”

Bandwagon Fallacy

Fallacy of Sunk Costs

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The bandwagon fallacy, also known as ad populum, is when a speaker assumes something is true because others agree with it. According to legend, politicians used to parade through the streets trying to draw a crowd and gain attention for votes. Whoever supported that candidate would literally jump on board the bandwagon.

It’s not much different when applying the bandwagon idea to arguing. Advertisers use bandwagon fallacies often: “Drink Gatorade because that’s what all professional athletes do to stay hydrated,” or “Read the New Yorker: Ten million Americans can’t be wrong, can they?”

By arguing that a product (or idea, or anything) is true or good simply because lots of people believe it (or consumer it, etc.) is false logic. Instead, try to convince someone your idea is good because of the individual tenets of the idea.

A real world example of bandwagen fallacy: During a campaign speech before the 2016 election, Donald Trump spoke these words to a rally: “I only wish these cameras, because there’s nothing as dishonest as the media, that I can tell you, I only wish these cameras would spin around and show the kind of people that we have, the numbers of people that we have here. I just wish that for once they would do it, because you know what, we have a silent majority that’s no longer so silent, it’s now the loud

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cide to stick around simply because you’ve already invested a year, you’re committing the fallacy of sunk costs.

A real world example of the fallacy of sunk costs: The Concorde was a supersonic passenger jet which was a joint project between the French and British governments. Well before the plane was completed, it was clear that it would not be a financial success. However, because a lot had already been invested in the project, it was decided to continue with the project.

Explanation: Not surprisingly, the Concorde project launched, fizzled and quickly died, along with any hope of recouping the huge amount of money that was invested by both governments.

Equivocation The fallacy of sunk costs is a painful one that we often use against ourselves.

When a speaker reasons that further investment is warranted based on the fact that the resources already invested will be lost otherwise, they don’t take into consideration the overall losses that would be involved in future investment. You can sum it up with the phrase, “Throwing good money after bad.”

Let’s think of this in gambling terminology. If you sit down at the blackjack table and lose $1,000 of the $1,800 that you brought to gamble with, there are a couple of options for moving forward. You could cut your losses and retain the $800, or you could reinvest the additional $800, because you’ve already spent $1,000. If you didn’t at least attempt to win back that lost grand, the money will have been lost in vain.

This fallacy isn’t just about money, though. Think of when you get caught in a lie. Some will immediately come clean and expose the lie, but others will continue to dig themselves in a hole, thinking that they’ve already lied and tried to cover it up.

Or if you’ve invested a year in a relationship before realizing you’re not compatible with your partner, if you de-

When equivocation occurs, a word, phrase or sentence is used deliberately to confuse or mislead by sounding like it’s saying one thing but actually saying something else.

When done in poetry or creative endeavors, equivocation can be passed off as a “play on words” for dramatic effect. When used in politics, the media or in any other serious applications, equivocation Often this fallacy shows up in the form of euphemisms, which replace unpleasant words with “nicer” ones. Imagine being interviewed for a job, and instead of talking about your “criminal background,” you use the term “youthful indiscretions.” The former sounds like a serious matter, while the latter attempts to paint the criminal acts with a light brush.

An example of equivocation: Billy pulls into a parking lot and looks at the sign, which reads, “Fine for parking here.” Billy says to his wife, Susan, “Look, the sign says

Part 4

parking here is fine, so I’m parking here.”

A real world example of equivocation: When President Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway went on NBC’s “Meet the Press” to discuss why Trump’s then-press secretary Sean Spicer mischaracterized the size of Trump’s inauguration crowd, she replied with one of 2017’s most notable gaffes: “Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts.”

An explanation: When Conway used the term “alternative facts” the internet responded with a mixture of anguish, laughter and head-slappery. It hardly needs to be mentioned that there is no such thing as an “alternative fact,” just truth and falsehood.

By claiming that Spicer used “alternative facts,” in judging the size of the inauguration crowd, Conway wants the American people to believe that there are gray areas between truth and fiction. Bonus fallacy: by arguing about crowd size in the first place, Spicer had committed a bandwagon fallacy.

This concludes the four-part series on how to argue. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about logical fallacies.

Where do we go from here? The first step is recognizing when someone is using a logical fallacy in an argument against you.

While you might be tempted to interrupt them and shout “RED HERRING!” in their face, avoid the temptation. You are then allowing your emotions dictate your response (which is another fallacy we haven’t covered – an appeal to pity).

Instead, wait for the person you are speaking with to finish their thought and calmly point out the error in their logic.

Don’t be vindictive. Always offer someone the chance to re-word their original point, as we often use logical fallacies without knowing it.

I encourage you to do your own research on logical fallacies, as there are dozens more than I’ve covered in this fourpart series.

PERSPECTIVES

EVILution:

The dark side of natural selection

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any of us, it seems, are all too eager to share our oversimplified solutions to the complex problems we face in our society. After any given news tragedy, an emotion-based, knee-jerk reaction — which can be condensed to a meme or a few words on Twitter — is often preferable to a more convoluted, albeit more reasonable, response. Moreover, with the bulk of the explanations and resolutions appearing to be more motivated by political gain than a quest for truth and understanding, topics like evolutionary psychology are—perhaps unsurprisingly—seldom discussed.

Though we may have a strong compulsion to blame the opposition party, the rich, the poor or some other out-group for all the ills and defects of mankind, many of the most shameful characteristics of our species are, in fact, byproducts of our evolutionary past. Our environment may play an important role in shaping who we are; however, nature and nurture are not mutually exclusive.

Contrary to what philosopher John Locke believed, we do not enter this world as “white paper, void of all characters” — much of our behavior has been shaped and hardwired by millions of years of natural selection.

The suggestion that many of our impulses and proclivities are inborn and have deep evolutionary roots is understandably troublesome to many. Cognitive scientist and public intellectual Steven Pinker touched upon this in his book “The Blank Slate:” “To acknowledge human nature, many think, is to endorse racism, sexism, war, greed,

genocide, nihilism, reactionary politics and neglect of children and the disadvantaged. Any claim that the mind has an innate organization strikes people not as a hypothesis that might be incorrect but as a thought it is immoral to think.”

There are certainly many examples where the concept of “human nature” and Darwin’s theory of natural selection — more specifically Herbert Spencer’s notion of “survival of the fittest” — have been used to rationalize and justify things like genocide, racism and sexism; nevertheless, that does not nullify the fact that we, just like all other mammalian species, evolved in an atmosphere where competition for limited resources results in a selection process that isn’t exactly what you would call benevolent and fair-minded.

Regrettably, it’s not only vestigial features like our appendixes and wisdom teeth that we carry from our ancient past, but also our propensity for sexual aggression, territorialism and violence — which, alas, cannot be surgically removed.

Although it may be more comforting to believe that these characteristics are pathological and do not reflect our species as a whole, an examination of our history, our evolutionary past, and data from studies on the behavior chimpanzees — who we share a close phylogenetic relationship with — will reveal that we humans are not as far removed from the animal kingdom as we’d like to think we are.

Chimpanzees, like humans, live in social groups and communities, and can often be violent

and territorial. Primatologist Jane Goodall, who studied them for decades, at first believed them to be “rather nicer than human beings,” but after observing events like the Gombe Chimpanzee War, she eventually conceded that they too “have a dark, brutal, and aggressive side.”

Male chimps will routinely patrol the perimeter of their community and protect it from neighboring groups. When two neighboring groups confront each other they will holler back and forth to intimidate the other side. Not wanting to risk harm or even possible death, both sides typically retreat; however, if a group finds a solitary male from another community they will sometimes mount a vicious attack and maul him to death.

Unfortunately, this is the type of savage behavior that natural selection often rewards. Individuals and groups that are more hostile and aggressive toward outsiders are typically more likely to survive, expand their range, gain access to more food resources, produce more offspring, and pass on their genetic information — the less aggressive, less territorial individuals and groups are more likely to die out.

Sexual coercion is also common among chimpanzees.

Studies have shown that male chimps who are more sexually aggressive than their benign counterparts tend to produce more offspring.

This data has horrifying implications. Could these traits have been passed down from the common ancestor we share with chimpanzees? Can this evidence be used, as Steven Pinker noted, used to justify racism,

sexism, war and greed? Is this the response to the Me Too Movement: “Sorry about all the harassment, assault and rape, but hey, don’t blame us, blame our simian ancestors.”

Of course, we are homo sapiens, not chimpanzees; however, our genetic blueprint is very similar to theirs—a better understanding of chimpanzee behavior can help give us a better understanding our own nature.

Were our ancestors really as violent and aggressive as chimpanzees? The answer you get to that question will depend on who you ask.

There are many who disagree with the Hobbesian notion that life for our ancestors was “nasty, brutish and short.” They’re more persuaded by the Rousseauian idea of the “noble savage”—the opinion that, in a state of nature, humans are not brutal but noble.

They allege that external factors — like the rise of agriculture — are what turned us into such monsters.

But this theory is not borne out by the facts. Studies have shown that conflict among our prehistoric ancestors was just as common if not more common than it is today. Warfare, it seems, is not a consequence of human development, but a symptom of territorialism—a phenomenon which does not require the added component of “civilization”.

Contrary to what the heading of this article may suggest, natural selection is not, in fact, an evil force — it is merely indifferent. It has no particular goal in mind, no moral code to guide it, no foresight and no concern for justice or equality. It is an unconscious selection process by

which certain organisms that are better adapted are more likely to survive, produce offspring, and pass on their genetic traits to the next generation.

It is important that terms like “fittest” and “better adapted” are properly understood in this context. The “fittest” organism isn’t just the one with the longest legs, the best camouflage, or the best set of abs — it’s also the organism with the most self-interest (natural selection also rewards greedy and selfish behavior).

Through the magnifying glass of our evolutionary past, it becomes more clear that our propensity for violence, jingoism, xenophobia and sexual aggression do not only have environmental causes but they are also, to our dismay, deeply embedded in our DNA. Our prehistoric grandparents have left us with some cumbersome and unwanted baggage; fortunately, it’s mixed baggage: natural selection has also endowed in us a capacity for love, compassion, mutual aid, etc. (Unfortunately, these virtues don’t appear to be designed to extend beyond our own families and social groups.) It’s as though natural selection has placed a demon on our left shoulder and an angel on the right.

Our task is to discipline ourselves to muffle the voices of our demons and amplify the voices of our angels.

Tim Bearly currently resides in Sandpoint, where he occupies his free time by writing subversive songs and essays. He can be lambasted via email at timbearly@hotmail.com April 12, 2018 /

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FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Food Columnist

Seems like the last month I’ve heard nothing but weather clichés, and I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I’ve grown so very weary of them.

We haven’t been singled out either. I’ve just returned home from Chicago and I can report that they are faring no better than us. It was snowing the morning I left their windy city, with more in the forecast for them too. Surely spring is just around the corner. Before we know it, tender buds of asparagus will be shooting up from the soil, and we’ll be tasting spring. I can barely wait!

Even as a child I loved asparagus, though I never looked forward to our annual “harvest.” Asparagus grew wild in the barrow pits near my rural Montana home. Armed with sturdy paper sacks, we kids would be dumped along the side of the road to glean the stalks that poked up through tangles of weeds. It was hard work for a kid and came with an added insult: there was nothing quite as humiliating as the carloads of cute boys speeding past, waving, honking and taunting us as we delved into our roadside duties. Once our mission was accomplished, we’d head back home and dump our bags on the kitchen counter. My mom would gather up the spears, sorting and banding them by size, while we picked at the pesky burrs that stuck to our socks. Finally, we were rewarded with bowls of piping hot and satiny smooth cream of asparagus soup.

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Asparagus was introduced to our country in about 1850 and is one of only three common perennial vegetables that we North Americans enjoy (artichokes and rhubarb are the other two). It’s one of the first vegetables of record, and a recipe for cooking it is in one of the oldest surviving recipe books from third century AD. In ancient times it was also known as an aphrodisiac and for its healing powers.

The best way to store asparagus is in the refrigerator, tips up, in a couple inches of water.

You can store it that way for up to a week. You don’t even have to cook it to enjoy it. Raw stalks peeled into curls for

Oh Shoots!

salads is delicious and a very pretty presentation.

Everyone seems to have a preference when it comes to prepping asparagus. Some cut the stalks, and others snap it at a tender joint or use a potato peeler to peel away the tough stems.

Don’t throw away those ends!

Save and freeze them, and when you have a bagful or two, you can add them to chicken stock for a delicious soup starter.

From mid-April to June, asparagus is plentiful and inexpensive, and there are myriad ways to prepare it: steamed (with or without Hollandaise sauce), grilled (try it on a Wildwood plank), sautéed, or blanched and frozen. You can

also preserve it by canning or pickling. I am here to report that a pickled asparagus spear and a Bloody Mary happen to be the best of friends!

I like to wrap the raw, tender spears into sushi rolls or deep fry them in tempura batter and serve with a spicy aioli. Or wrap them with prosciutto and broil them. Sometimes, I even wrap them in soft rice noodles, deep fry the spears and serve with sweet chili sauce. They’re beautiful and delicious. Whatever way you choose to prepare and cook this versatile vegetable, just don’t overcook it!

Remember this ancient idiom: “faster than cooking asparagus.”

Most of the regional as-

paragus comes to us from the Tri-Cities of Washington and is already making its way to our tables. If you’re so inclined, you can even head down there for an asparagus extravaganza: the Asparagus Fest and Brews in Pasco on May 12. But if you feel the urge to pick your own fresh shoots in a couple of weeks you can drive to Greenbluff, just north of Spokane, and head to one of the U-Pick farms.

Where ever you find your asparagus, do whip up a batch of Cream of Asparagus Soup.

Though my mother always served it hot, it’s also great served chilled. Either way, it will be deliciously free of pesky burrs and taunting boys.

Cream of Asparagus Soup Use young, thin spring asparagus. Serve with crusty French bread (hot or cold, one of my favorite soups).

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

•4 cups cut fresh asparagus cut into 1/2-inch pieces (reserve 12 tips)

Place asparagus in a large saucepan and cover with 1 cup of stock.

•2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock),

Bring to a boil, cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender.

Drain, set asparagus aside and reserve the liquid.

•1/4 cup finely chopped green onions •5 tablespoons butter •2 tablespoons all-purpose flour •1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt •1/4 teaspoon white pepper •4 cups half and half

In another saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper and whisk until blended. Gradually stir in reserved cooking liquid and remaining stock. the half or half. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add the half and half and cook, while whisking, until thickened bubbly hot.

Stir in asparagus; heat through (at this point, you can use an immersion stick if you want to puree the asparagus – and chill overnight if you prefer cold soup) Garnish with young asparagus tips, crispy bits of fried prosciutto and a drizzle of olive oil.

Yield: 6 servings

MUSIC

Time’s up for Five Minutes of Fame

Sandpoint’s longest running open mic wraps up after two decades

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Sandpoint has seen a lot of change in the last two decades, so it’s easy to forget the characteristics of town that have stayed remarkably the same. One such constant is the monthly open mic Five Minutes of Fame.

Five Minutes celebrated its 20th birthday last August, but the event won’t be making it to 21.

“The enthusiasm is still there, but it had a lifespan like anything else,” said Five Minutes organizer Tom Kramer.

Kramer said the open mic has evolved over the years — from being named “Expresso Yourself,” to being held at various venues in town while trying to find a good fit. For the last 13 years, Cafe Bodega at Foster’s Crossing has hosted the open mic.

Kramer said no matter the evolution, Five Minutes has kept the community feel it started with in the late ‘90s thanks to founder Karen Seashore. He said the continued support from the community helped the event to become the longest-running open mic in Sandpoint.

“It really is a family,” he said,

noting that Five Minutes’ regulars are aging and are therefore unable to attend consistently, partially prompting the event’s end. “It’s cramped our style, but we still want to go out with a bang.”

Attend Five Minutes of Fame’s wrap-up evening Wednesday, April 18, at Cafe Bodega at 6:30 p.m. There will be a dessert potluck as well as the traditional open mic format. Bring instruments, read a poem or simply come listen.

Kramer and his wife Robens Napolitan said they are especially grateful to Dave and Kate Luers of Foster’s Crossing for providing a venue for so long.

This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert

READ

The only thing better than a good story or a good game of basketball is an incredible story about lives changed by the game. “What the Arlee Warriors Were Playing For” by Abe Streep, published April 4 in New York Times Magazine, is just that. The author weaves the narrative of the Arlee High School boys basketball team’s season with the dark realities of life on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

The result is the best story I’ve read in a long time. Find it at: www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/ magazine.

LISTEN

Left: Fiddlin’ Red Simpson and Desiree Aguirre play at Five Minutes of Fame. Right: Robens Napolitan reads poetry by lamplight. Photos by Lee Santa.

The album “If You Leave”

by England indie folk trio Daughter has stood the test of time in my collection of alltime favorites.

Everything the band creates is gorgeous, but this 2013 release is complete both lyrically and musically. If you’re into Bon Iver, Ben Howard or Keaton Henson, Daughter is a must. Start out be listening to tracks “Smother,” “Youth” and “Lifeforms.”

WATCH

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Released in 2001, the movie “Shrek” was a massive success and went on to become a staple of many childhoods for years to come.

Now local residents can relive the story with all the spectacle, bombast and flair of a live stage musical. More than 70 Sandpoint-area kids and their adult mentors worked to bring to life the story of an ogre tasked with rescuing a beautiful princess. Sharply funny in its send-up of fairy tale

conventions, “Shrek” grounds the laughs with a message about the importance of inner beauty.

Catch Shrek April 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. A family show matinee with $7 tickets for children 10 and under begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, with doors opening at 1:30 p.m.

On Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m., students age 18 and under can take advantage of student discount night with $10 tickets.

I came across the VICE profile video series this week, and I was pleasantly surprised by one in particular: “The Artist with Multiple Personalities.” It tells the story of Kim Noble, an artist living with dissociative identity disorder to cope with childhood trauma. Over a dozen of her personalities are painters, including Ken the gay man and Judy the teenager. VICE showed Kim — who could be easily misunderstood — as the artist and human she really is, not just a woman with an illness.

S e e the video at www. video.vice. com.

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COMMUNITY

Swim instructor safety class offered Free community

By Reader Staff

From The Daily Panidan, July 13, 1928

BANDITS TIE MAN TO TREE, ROB HIM, ESCAPE WITH CAR Three men riding in a stolen automobile last night bound a tourist to a tree and took $130 in travelers cheques from him at Heron, Mont., according to information received here.

The party of three men, it is reported, left Missoula, Mont., Tuesday in a stolen Dodge touring car. Before reaching Heron, they abandoned the Dodge car and stole a Chevrolet truck, which they drove to Heron, where they met the tourist. After tying the tourist to a tree and taking his travelers cheques, the three bandits removed the ignition wires from the truck so that they could make their escape without being followed. They left in the touristâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s car, a Velie sedan, and are reported to be headed for Sandpoint.

As soon as the tourist could free himself from the ropes he reported the robbery. Local officials have been on the lookout for the robbers.

Learning to swim and be safe in the water is one of the most valuable lifetime skills a person can have. Become one of the promoters of water safety and swimming through this 24-hour course of learning swim stroke mechanics, water safety awareness, child development, learning theory, lesson planning, and communications with students/parents. Swim Instructor training is for 15 year olds and adults that are both strong swimmers and comfortable in deep water. Must attend ALL sessions listed below to complete course.

Participants successfully completing this course will receive a swim instructor certification locally recognized by city of Sandpoint Parks and Rec and Sandpoint West Athletic Club (SWAC).

This course is taught by professional-

ly-certified, highly-experienced water safety instructors Ciarra Benton and Deanna Benton.

Classroom sessions at Sandpoint Community Hall: April 27, 5-9 p.m.

April 28, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

April 29, 3:30-5:30 p.m.

May 12, 3:30-5:30 p.m.

In-water sessions at SWAC: April 29, 1-3 p.m.

May 12, 1-3 p.m.

Fees are $75 per person. A minimum of five students is required to run the course. Sandpoint Parks and Recreation does have partial scholarships for high school age participants.

Registration deadline is Monday, April 21. Call (208) 263-3613 for info.

track meet

By Reader Staff

Sandpoint Parks and Recreation has teamed up with Sandpoint High School Cross Country and Track teams to offer an open track meet for anyone ages 9-14 years old. The free event will take place at the SHS track Friday, May 4 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Look for the promotional materials in the spring outlining the details and listen to ROCK 103.

Pre-registration is required for this event. To register, go online at www. sandpointidaho.gov/parksrecreation, or visit it us at Sandpoint Parks and Recreation, 1123 Lake St. in Sandpoint or call (208) 263-3613.

Crossword Solution

New Idaho Road Maps Republication of the road map of Idaho, showing in detail the North and South highway from Bonners Ferry to Weiser, is now under way, according to officials of the Inland Automobile association. Ten thousand copies are to be printed, bringing the total of maps issued this year to 87,000 Mrs. Luther Swafford underwent a minor operation at the Parnell hospital yesterday.

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Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a suggestion for a new animal, if some new ones get created or evolve: something that stings you, then laughs at you.

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Goulash 5. Look at with fixed eyes 10. Constellation bear 14. Apiary 15. Cassettes 16. Principal 17. Jungle 19. Elevator (British) 20. Website address 21. Got up 22. Desires 23. A medieval steel helmet 25. A watery discharge 27. One or more 28. Pass 31. Dirty 34. Dwarf 35. Barbie’s beau 36. Arm or leg 37. Foundation 38. Noxious plant 39. Shade tree 40. A thorny stem 41. Deservedly receives 42. Silver-tongued 44. A Buddhist temple /NEY-suh ns/ 45. Governs [noun] 46. Dry sharp-tasting ales 1. a birth, an origination, or a growth, as that of a 50. Dye with wax e of th person, an organization, an idea, or a movement.

52. Yes “The naissance of the #metoo movement stemmed with Weinstein.” 54. Japanese apricot Corrections: I had a date mix-up in last week’s article about the SHS Aca- 55. Dash deca team. They will compete on April 19 and 20, not “April 19 and 10). 56. Despotic 58. After-bath powder Apologies for the mistake. Go Bulldogs! -BO

Word Week

naissance

Solution on page 22 11. American Indian medicine man 12. Sieve 13. Picnic insects 18. Backside 22. Used to be 24. Poetic foot DOWN 26. Skirt lines 1. Bush 28. Beginning 2. Crown 29. Avid 3. Iniquities 30. Terminates 4. A common cyst 31. Delight 5. A level in a building 32. Small brook 6. Fortuneteller’s card 33. Supernatural 7. Mimics beings 8. Man-made lake 34. A person who 9. Eastern Standard Time denies 10. Dieresis 37. Broth (Scottish) 59. Interlace 60. Start over 61. Anagram of “Sees” 62. Law and _____ 63. Lock openers

38. Light bulb unit 40. Volume 41. Consumed 43. Acid-tasting pear-shaped fruit 44. Hotdog 46. Courageous 47. Master of ceremonies 48. Prepared 49. Grain storage buildings 50. Mend (archaic) 51. “Oh my!”

53. Alumnus 56. Pair 57. Bother April 12, 2018 /

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