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PEOPLE compiled by

Susan Drinkard

watching

“What’s your favorite video and/or board game and why?”

“My favorite is Monopoly because multiple people can play it and it helps you understand you will have to pay taxes and rent; it makes you realize it’s not all fun and games in the ‘real’ world.”

Aural Palmer Freshman at SHS Sandpoint “Minecraft—video game— because it teaches you about gold mining. There’s a big world you can explore and you can create anything you want like mine carts and mining elevators.”

Josh Bishop Freshman at SHS Sandpoint “Settlers of Catan. It’s a board game kind of like Rook. It’s a game of acquiring resources to enable you to build settlements and you try to keep other players from building roads, etc. I like it because you have to be strategic.”

Erricka Brownell Counseling office coordinator, SHS Priest River “It’s fun to get together with family and friends to play Monopoly. I’m pretty competitive.

We play it over several days.”

Brooks Spalding Junior at SHS Sandpoint

“I like to play Apples to Apples because I always win.”

Ezra Stafford Art teacher/SHS Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

We’ve been blessed with some glorious sunny days this week, prompting some local wags to utter the magical word “spring.” Don’t be fooled, dear readers. Anyone who has scraped their windshields and shoveled their driveways well into “spring” knows Old Man Winter likes to confuse us with warm February days before dropping the icy hammer again. The ski season is only half over, so don’t put away your mittens just yet.

Also, here’s another reminder to take our annual media survey for a chance to win $100 worth of dining bucks for MickDuff’s and Eichardt’s. It’s quick and painless – just a few questions about what local media outlets you regularly follow. Your answers help us determine which publications are picked up or listened to more than others, which in turn, helps them show their advertisers what kind of audience regularly consumes local media. All you have to do is follow the link below and enter your email for a chance to win. We appreciate your time.

bit.ly/SandpointMediaSurvey

– Ben Olson, publisher

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

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Paul Bannick (cover), Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, Bill Borders, Foster Cline, Douglas Faulder, Big White Dog Photography, BMT. Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Lorraine H. Marie, Emily Erickson, Rep. Ilana Rubel, Rep. Mike Kingsley, Cameron Rasmusson, Ammi Midstokke.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $115 per year 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.

Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics.

Requirements: –No more than 300 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.

Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook.

About the Cover

This week’s cover photo was taken by renowned wildlife photographer Paul Bannick. Read more about Bannick’s newest book Snowy Owl on Page 20.

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NEWS

Little by Little

Gov. Brad Little visits Sandpoint COVID-19 vaccine clinic, talks phased vaccine rollout and ‘hesitancy’

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Hosted by the Panhandle Health District, Gov. Brad Little on Jan. 29 toured a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Bonner County Fairgrounds, where residents were queued up to receive their second inoculation against the virus. Little spoke with health district personnel and the National Guard members helping at the clinic, referring more than once to the impending bubble of vaccine appointments sure to arrive on Feb. 1, as the state opened its guidelines to allow anyone over the age of 65 to sign up for doses.

Little told the Sandpoint Reader that despite the state’s efforts to encourage health care workers, teachers and other essential personnel to be vaccinated before the Feb. 1 deadline, many are likely going to end up in line behind a portion of Idaho’s 269,000 older citizens.

“You know, like anything, if there’s a big line, people want to get to the front of it,” Little said.

“If there’s no line, they’re not as urgent. There’s going to be a huge line Monday for probably at least a month and half, probably two months. I think that’s going to increase the urgency.”

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Estimates place about 51,000 Idahoans over age 65 within the Panhandle Health District, but PHD Nurse Manager Kristina Gavin — who oversaw the Jan. 29 clinic in Sandpoint — told the Reader that figure was likely inaccurate.

“That’s based on old data,” Gavin said. “I mean, look at the people who have moved into this area just in the last year.”

For those currently eligible for the vaccine, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has launched a database hosting information about how to schedule an appointment based on your health district. Visit coronavirus.idaho.gov and click on the blue text stating, “When and where to get your vaccine.”

PHD officials report that the district is currently receiving 3,800 doses of vaccine per week — an increase of 1,000 over previous weeks — and “doses will be evenly distributed to each county based on population.” Information about clinics in North Idaho can be found at panhandlehealthdistrict.org/ covid-19/vaccine. As of Feb. 3, an announcement at the top of the webpage reads: “Vaccine appointments are full. An announcement will be made when more are made available.”

Gavin said Jan. 29 that PHD currently does not have any more first-dose clinics set up in Bonner County, because the county’s allotted weekly doses are going to care providers like Bonner General Health, which announced Jan. 27 that it would not be taking any more appointments until it had worked through the “3,000+ we already have in our system.”

“We are utilizing all those doses, just in the community,” Gavin told the Reader. “In Bonner County, we just need more doses, is the main thing.”

As of Feb. 3, PHD reported that 14,040 doses of the vaccine have been distributed within the health district. IDHW reported that 113,550 Idahoans have received at least one dose as of Feb. 3, and 26,415 people across the state have received both.

As for COVID-19 cases, Idaho has seen 164,163 since tracking began in March 2020, along with 1,748 deaths. Bonner County is sitting at 2,771 cases — 643 of which are currently active, and 29 which have resulted in death.

In response to what health officials are calling a decline in case counts and hospitalizations, Little announced Feb. 2 that the state would move up to Stage 3

of the Idaho Rebounds reopening plan, allowing for gatherings of up to 50 people. However, the governor emphasized that Idahoans should “stay vigilant” in their social distancing and masking practices.

Despite the current demand for the vaccine and growing waiting lists of those looking to make appointments, Little said that future phases of the vaccine rollout may not see the same demand due to people opting out of the shots. In Bonner County, particularly, distaste for vaccines is well documented — a 2018 study by PLOS Medicine revealed that the county ranks second in the nation for vaccine exemptions for Kindergarten-age children.

When asked how he and his public health team plan to approach vaccine refusal, Little said “we’re going to have to do some promotion, but every day that somebody knows somebody who’s been [vaccinated], and they feel better, they’re more comfortable about their life, they didn’t have any negative consequences — that’s going to help.”

Little, who received his first shot of the Moderna vaccine on Jan. 25, said he experienced no side effects.

“Zero. Nothing,” he said,

Left: Gov. Brad Little speaks with Medical Reserve Corps members at the Jan. 29 COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Bonner County Fairgrounds. Right: Idaho National Guard personnel prepare to vaccinate clinic attendees. Photos by Lyndsie Kiebert.

adding: “I didn’t even have a sore arm.”

“I’m keenly aware of vaccine hesitancy, reluctance and, in some cases, darn right hostility,” he continued. “We have no intention of mandating, from the state, that people get a vaccination, but there’s going to be certain businesses and certain places you go where it’s going to be required. The safety of it is absolutely the most important thing. ... We are going to have some people get sick [from the shot], there’s no question about it, but the alternative of getting COVID — particularly severely — is way worse.”

Panhandle Health District does not currently have any vaccine appointments available, but you can call its COVID-19 hotline at 877-415-5225 to ask questions. See a complete timeline of Idaho’s estimated vaccine rollout at healthandwelfare. idaho.gov/covid-19-vaccination.

NEWS

Survey: Less than half of Idahoans think state is on the right track Partisan divides clear on COVID-19 response, yet support exists for statewide mask mandate

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Amid the chaos spurred by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Idahoans remain cautiously optimistic about the direction of the state, with 49% of a sample group of 1,000 survey-takers telling Boise State University researchers that they feel the Gem State is “headed in the right direction.” That assessment marks an overall decline from 2017, when more than 60% of respondents approved of how “things in Idaho are generally headed.”

The sixth annual Boise State Idaho Public Policy Survey, conducted from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, 2020 and released in late January 2021, went on to reveal a sizable minority — 38% — of Idaho residents would refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, respondents ranked education funding as their top legislative priority — 71.9% put education at the top of the issues facing the state, followed by jobs and the economy (66.2%), health care (59.3%) and coronavirus response (53.3%). Housing topped the list for 49.1% of survey participants, followed by the environment at 48.7%, taxes at 48.4% and transportation with 35.6%.

Partisan divides appeared in a number of issue categories, with Democrats rating health care and COVID-19 response higher among their concerns than Republicans — Democrats saw those issues as topping the agenda by 80% and 78%, respectively, while Republicans ranked them with “less urgency,” according to the survey, noting 51% of Republicans saw health care as a critical issue and only 38% placed the state’s COVID-19 response as among the most pressing matters facing the state.

Democrats were also found to be more concerned about housing — 61% ranking it in the highest category of importance

compared to 43% of Republicans. (Rapid growth was disproportionately represented among the concerns of those living in the populous Treasure Valley in southern Idaho.) Those numbers were very nearly reversed when it came to taxes: 61% of Republicans ranked that as a top issue, compared to 31% of Democrats.

Unique to this year’s policy survey was the section on the coronavirus. According to Boise State researchers, the majority of those who took part in the survey said they have friends and/or family who have tested positive for COVID-19. According to the responses, 44% had between one and five friends or family members test positive, yet 47% said they had no pandemic-related stress or anxiety.

“While the pandemic may concern Idahoans for a variety of personal reasons, the survey asked Idahoans about three specific concerns for the state: negative impacts on the economy, health and children’s education,” wrote report authors Jeffrey Lyons, director of survey research at the Boise State School of Public Service, and Matthew May, senior research associate at the Idaho Policy Institute.

“People are divided on the most concerning elements of the pandemic, the largest number (38%) list economic impacts as their primary concern, followed by impacts on children’s education (31%), and health impacts (28%),” they added. “Republicans are more likely than Democrats to be most concerned about the economy (46% vs. 21%) and effects on education (37% vs. 23%). More Democrats are concerned about health impacts of the virus than Republicans (52% of Democrats vs. 13% of Republicans).”

Idaho residents were clearly divided on how education should be delivered during the pandemic — 43% said schools should operate via a mix of online and in-person instruction, while

33% said school days should be in-person entirely and 20% said online only would be best.

Again, partisan differences were cast in stark relief: 50% of Republicans preferred all in-person instruction compared to 10% of Democrats.

Perhaps surprising, given the political heat surrounding mask wearing, a majority of survey respondents supported a statewide policy mandating face coverings. According to the study, 58% supported a “law requiring masks in public places,” opposed by 41% of respondents.

Drilling down, the survey asked participants to rank the strength of their opinions on the issue, with 46% saying they “strongly support a mandate” and 32% standing “strongly oppose[ed] to it.” A full 93% of Democrats supported such a mandate, compared to 39% of Republicans — the latter being opposed by a margin of 59%.

“A slight majority (51%) support a mandate enforceable with a fine, and 46% oppose,” survey authors wrote. “The difference between these numbers is within the [3.1%] margin of error, so we are unable to say if more people support or oppose a mandate that is enforceable with a fine.”

On education, 36% of respondents said their local schools are “good” while 10% ranked

them as “excellent.” That’s up from 2020, when just more than 30% would characterize their local education resources as “good” and roughly the same for those who would call them “excellent.” Overall, 27.4% said K-12 education in their area was “fair,” 16.6% said it was “poor” and 9.9% were unsure. Report authors made it clear that both self-identified Democrats and Republicans had similar views, though parents with children in K-12 education ranked the system “good” or “excellent,” compared to 40% among those without school-aged children.

Turning to the state’s $530 million budget surplus, 22.9% of survey-takers said that money should be put toward “helping high-need families of K-12 students with technology course fees, tutoring and special education service.” That was followed by 21.7% who preferred “expanding pathways to careers for our high school students by expanding apprenticeships.”

On criminal justice — a hot button issue in 2020 — Idahoans overwhelmingly prefer rehabilitation for nonviolent criminals by a 71.3% margin. Both Democrats and Republicans favored this approach, with 90% of the former and 76% of the latter saying they preferred education and treatment programs for nonvio-

Courtesy images.

lent offenders.

Finally, the survey keyed into another high-profile 2020 issue: election security. As maintained by county clerks and elections officials around the state, the vast majority of those who responded to the survey said they had no concerns about the security of Idaho’s elections: 76.1% of respondents said they were not concerned about security, compared to 18.9% who said they were worried and 5% who said they weren’t sure.

Summarizing the survey, its authors wrote: “Despite the unique challenges faced by Idaho in 2020, more Idahoans remain positive about the direction the state is headed than believe the state is on the wrong track. However, challenges remain including a clear division among Idahoans in regard to certain issues including surplus spending and COVID-19.

Understanding the attitudes of Idahoans can help inform the choices that lay ahead as leaders and decision makers tackle these matters in 2021.”

Read the full report at boisestate.edu/sps/2021-idaho-public-policy-survey.

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NEWS

BoCo Elections to ‘co-locate’ some polling places

Clark Fork, Lakeview and Priest River precincts will see changes

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Bonner County commissioners unanimously approved a request Feb. 2 from Clerk Mike Rosedale to combine polling places in some parts of the county, in an effort to secure more spacious and easy-to-access locations for voters.

While Rosedale is required to bring forward an annual resolution to designate polling places, he used this year’s resolution to also “co-locate” a few — a term from the Idaho secretary of state’s office meaning to combine polling places, so that sometimes voters from different precincts will be voting in the same place.

“We’re not combining the precincts,” Rosedale clarified.

“We’re just co-locating the precincts into one better spot.”

Rosedale proposed to co-locate the Clark Fork and Lakeview precincts to a single polling place inside the Clark ForkHope Area Senior Center, calling the building “a phenomenal place” and “a huge upgrade” over the two small polling places previously in use. Although Clark Fork is located in Idaho Legislative District 1 and Lakeview is located in District 7 — which incorporates the southern end of Lake Pend Oreille — the two precincts are still able to have their votes collected at the same polling place.

Rosedale also proposed co-locating two Priest River precincts into a single polling place at the Priest River VFW Hall.

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A map showing the North Idaho legislative districts. Courtesy image. up to handle either of the precincts in that polling place.”

The board voted in favor of Rosedale’s resolution, which “designated suitable polling places for each precinct for the 2021 election year and beyond,” including the proposed changes for the Clark Fork, Lakeview and Priest River precincts.

Those with questions about polling places in Bonner County or local elections in general can contact the Bonner County Elections office at 208-2553631 or email elections@bonnercountyid.gov.

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling: Two police officers who responded to the insurrection at the Capitol Building on Jan. 6 died later from suicide, according to politico.com. Another officer died the day of the attack from head injuries inflicted by rioters. Lawmakers are “deep into an investigation” of why responding officers were outnumbered and inadequately equipped and prepared, despite advanced warnings about potential violence. The fiscal impact of the event is still being calculated, but an initial estimate is $8.8 million.

Congress needs more protection because “the enemy is within the House of Representatives,” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has stated. She explained: besides an increase in death threats from partisans of ex-President Donald Trump, some members of Congress are armed and have threatened violence against fellow members of Congress, according to talkingpointsmemo.com. Example: Rep. Lauren Boebert , R-Colo., who has said via video that she is armed in D.C., and in social media posts endorses executing Democrats, Mother Jones reported.

According to a filed indictment, planning for the Jan. 6 insurrection to disrupt the election count at the Capitol began in early November, The Washington Post reported. Another indictment outlined the start of a training camp and transportation of truckloads of weapons to the Capitol.

A number of Jan. 6 Capitol rioters who have been arrested did not even vote in the November election, according to an analysis of voting records shared by Business Insider. One could not vote in Florida because he had not paid court fines related to his murder conviction.

The Department of Homeland Security has issued a national terrorism bulletin, which ends in late April. It warns of violence from domestic extremists who are angry about “perceived grievances fueled by false narratives” and who have drawn inspiration from the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Widespread use of COVID-19 vaccinations will help stop mutation of the virus, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, stated at a virtual White House briefing. Viruses can’t mutate if they don’t replicate, he said — an important fact to consider after new, reportedly more transmissible, COVID-19 variants arrived in the U.S. One variant, from the U.K, is already in more than 30 states.

The Biden administration has arranged for delivery from Australia of over-the-

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

counter at-home COVID-19 tests, expected to cost about $30. According to forbes. com, the tests are 95% accurate, process in 15 minutes and allow the user to know if it’s safe for them to expose themselves to others.

President Biden’s $1.9 billion coronavirus proposal includes $1,400 stimulus checks, extends unemployment benefits, establishes a higher minimum wage (the current average age for minimum wage earners is 35), and provides aid for cashstrapped state and local governments due to business declines from COVID-19.

Republicans, meanwhile, have offered a counter-proposal that is one-third the cost. The Washington Post reports that the GOP plan has $1,000 stimulus checks, cuts supplemental unemployment, has no aid for local or state governments and eliminates the minimum wage increase. Commenting in The Guardian, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich said if Republicans were concerned about the national debt, they could tax the very wealthy, who’ve seen a 40% wealth increase since the pandemic started. Reich suggested the real reason for blocking Biden’s plan is Republicans fear it will be successful.

Sen. Minority Leader McConnell, R-Ky., said he appreciates Biden’s avoidance of lectures and pursuit of a mutually agreeable path. But he claims that, despite Biden winning the majority vote and the Electoral College, that’s not a “mandate for sweeping ideological change.” McConnell ran the Senate when it ran up a $7.8 trillion debt, much of that attributed to Trump’s tax breaks for the wealthy.

The U.S. Senate has introduced the For the People Act, which, if passed, would significantly increase election security; end congressional gerrymandering; strengthen ethics and financial conflict-of-interest laws for Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court and the president; put an end to secret political donations, put restrictions on political action committees; close lobbyist loopholes and more.

Blast from the past: Social Security was established under President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of a “three-legged stool” plan. To help seniors avoid poverty there would be three even legs: one’s pension from an employer, one’s savings, and Social Security earnings. But, as Social Security Works points out, the stool is wobbly because it now has uneven legs: wages for many do not allow savings, and increasingly employees have seen their pension plans either shrink, or they have no pension plan at all.

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Tuna the cat

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

I’ve always been a dog person. From my first wetnosed nuzzle and sloppy, warm kiss, I knew a dog’s love was something special. Their easy affection and steadfast commitment to being good (even if it doesn’t always hit the mark) is as universally pure as a living thing can get.

My heart-of-gold, innocent troublemaker Bodi, is no exception. He is a perfectly imperfect mutt with an affinity for long naps on the couch and longer hikes in the mountains — and the lengths I’d go for him to be a fraction more comfortable are (nearly) laughable. So, when sweet Bodi showed signs of needing a more constant companion for his days spent at home, we didn’t hesitate in searching for another furry friend to add to our little pack.

Cue the 3-week-old, black fuzzball of a kitten named Tuna, mewing his way out of the neighbor’s frigid barn and into our lives. Midnight bottle feeds were followed by heated blanket cuddles and string-chasing tumbles and, suddenly, I became a dog and (Tuna the) cat person.

For the past three-quarters of a year, living with and loving a cat has slowly shifted the way I understand the kinds of lessons pets can teach us. These nuggets of wisdom extend beyond pet ownership and, often, into the fundamentals of navigating life. So far, being a (Tuna the)

Emily Erickson. cat person has taught me: Tides of change are often preceded by warning signs (if you’re diligent about looking for them).

Gleaned from many pet and purr sessions-turned-teeth-sinking, pedal-kicking displays of feline ferocity, I now understand that most radical changes are preceded by warning signs. Like the quick dilation of Tuna’s pupils and the alltoo-stillness of his little body pre-strike, so many of the big things that happen in our lives come after a trail of little things we could have noticed if we were just paying closer attention. Because can’t we usually say, “Well, I probably should have seen that coming”?

Play and wonder can be found in most situations, even the seriously mundane.

There is no regular-life item too plain for a cat’s imagination to overcome. Paper bags and backpack straps are transformed into cramped,

mysterious caves and long, menacing snakes. An empty corner table and the top shelf of a closet are a Tuna-sized obstacle course; an opportunity for him to display an amazing grasp on geometry, trajectory and balance. His dog brother’s wagging tail is a pendulum of fun, seemingly tailor-made for his personal pleasure. If that doesn’t shout, “Make due with what you have and create regular opportunities for joy,” I don’t know what does.

Love can be asked for from the people closest to you.

require words to communicate when he isn’t in the mood to entertain the people around him. Any breach of personal space or cause of discomfort is vehemently expressed and reprimanded, leaving little room to question from where the specific offense has come.

Tuna allows himself to feel what he feels without explanation or justification, and creates

physical and emotional distance until he is ready to receive and return the affection he loves.

When in doubt, start with a snack and a nap.

And, well, that’s just as solid a lesson as they come, isn’t it?

Retroactive

By BO

Sometimes, some situations require asking the people who love you to demonstrate that love a bit more than usual. For Tuna, these situations occur in the minutes after he comes inside after a snowy jaunt through the yard, or just before he settles into his favorite, cozy chair.

Soft meows are paired with whole-body rubs against our legs, and are always followed by a big hoist onto our chests and into-our-neck purr-nuzzles.

These obvious requests for extra affection are never paired with guilt or shame, and do not require an apology. He simply has a need, and asks for help from the people he loves (and there’s a lesson in there, I’m sure of it).

Space can be demanded from anyone you encounter.

Of all the things cats are good at, creating firm boundaries and demanding space when they want it has to be their greatest talent. Tuna doesn’t

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The politics of personality…

Bouquets: • A Bouquet this week to Donna Price, who recently organized the Sandpoint Valentine’s Cards for Seniors program. Price started this program by asking the community to buy or make Valentine’s cards that she can collect and distribute to our local seniors at the Sandpoint Senior Center.

She originally hoped for about 200 total Valentines, but it’s clear that this community has stepped up, as Price reported huge numbers of cards coming in. She’s now planning to add assisted living homes and other locations to her distribution. Individuals are making them, school classes are making them — it’s turned into the coolest art project of 2021 so far. Great job making this happen, Donna, and a hearty thank you to all of you out there who took the time to create cards to donate. Our local senior citizens will certainly feel loved this year.

• We received a very generous donation from a local individual who has supported the Reader for years. RW: thank you so much for your generosity. We are continually humbled by your kindness.

When COVID-19 is over with, we’re taking you out for a beer.

Until then, we are so grateful for your support.

Barbs: • There might be some of you out there wondering, “Why haven’t they published my letter to the editor yet?” The truth of the matter is, we don’t publish just anything that lands in our inboxes. We ask that your letters are topical, in that they relate to a previous story, a local issue or a wider issue that affects us equally. We refrain from publishing letters that contain glaring factual errors, or only serve to belittle instead of contribute to the conversation. Also, for Pete’s sake, please keep your submissions under 300 words. Thank you.

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Dear editor, When someone charged General Ulysses S. Grant, in President Lincoln’s hearing, with drinking too much liquor, Mr. Lincoln, recalling General Grant’s successes, said that if he could find out what brand of whiskey Grant drank, he would send a barrel to all his generals.

Grant also appeared unkempt and disheveled, and was often mistaken for a private when he walked around camp. Conversely, General George McClellan had the appearance and bearing desired in a general, but Lincoln removed him from command early in the war when his cautious tactics failed to produce results. Lincoln’s judgment proved prescient; confederate General Robert E. Lee eventually surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox, ending the Civil War. Few of the people I know who voted for Trump cared for his personality, but they liked what he did, or tried to do, for the country.

Other people liked his policies but couldn’t abide his lack of decorum, immaturity and petulance, and voted for Biden (or stayed home). Who can blame them? If I were to pick someone to be marooned with on a desert island Trump would be my next-to-last choice, Hillary grabbing last-place honors.

Trump’s policies differed little from Ronald Reagan’s, who won landslides in 1980 and 1984. The difference? Reagan was presidential. People liked him. The country has drifted left since Reagan was in office, so a current-day Reagan would not have won by a landslide, but would have won comfortably.

Trump should not run in 2024. His personality is not going to change at this point, and he will be beaten again. There are some rising stars in the Republican Party who can win by running on Trump’s agenda while acting like adults. Electing a president shouldn’t be a Miss Congeniality contest, but like it or not, that’s part of it.

Dave Mundell Sandpoint

The coming alt-right ‘monoculture’…

Dear editor, With the Reader giving Dan McDonald a bouquet in the Jan. 21 issue, the Reader itself deserves a bouquet for trying to bridge the polarization gap.

However, McDonald says “Loves

Lives Here” signs are hate, has implied that those businesses displaying it should be boycotted and is wasting taxpayers’ money with the suit against The Festival.

For those reasons I have to give the Reader a barb for giving McDonald a bouquet.

In the same issue it was said that McDonald “bristled” at the idea that “outsiders have brought a level of political virulence to the area that hadn’t existed.” Of course he would say that, he’s one of those “outsiders.”

I moved to the area in 1981 and have seen an increase of “political virulence” from the so-called altright during McDonald’s reign. I’m not saying that it is his fault, but McDonald and those locals of the alt-right have felt empowered by the election of Trump, which is why they are trying to shove their ideology down the throats of the people of Sandpoint.

The alt-right is not satisfied with just controlling Bonner County; it is desperate to subdue Sandpoint, which they view as a liberal thorn in their ideological side.

It’s just a matter of time before they take control of Sandpoint. The plan is to make it so uncomfortable for Sandpoint’s multicultural liberals that they will leave. It’s working.

I know of several who have plans to leave the area because of the intolerance of the alt-right’s white monoculture that is coming.

That is what the attack on The Festival is about. Without the Festival, many liberal businesses will have to close their doors.

The alt-right folks have an irrational fear of diversity which is why they want a white-only monoculture.

Lee Santa Sandpoint

In honor of Brian Sicknick…

Dear editor, A good man. An honorable veteran and policeman’s remains were honored in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda exactly four weeks after the shameful attempted insurrection murdered him. Few people have been so honored. A good man died on Jan. 6th, defending our country and our democracy from cowards and traitors to our country. Not a single one of them were patriots.

Every one of them were traitors and every one of them are guilty of sedition, treason, murder, accessory to murder and assault with intent to murder. One hundred and forty police were injured, dozens seri-

PERSPECTIVES

Second Draw PPP Loan application period open

By Ben Olson Reader Staff When Congress passed the CARES Act in 2020, the Paycheck Protection Program provided invaluable financial assistance to help struggling businesses retain their employees. Now, another round of PPP funds are available for businesses to help them weather the COVID-19 pandemic as it nears its one-year anniversary.

In coordination with the U.S. Treasury Department, the Small Business Administration began accepting applications for the Second Draw PPP Loan Jan. 13 and will continue to accept them until March 31. Committed to providing assistance to small businesses hit hard by the pandemic, the SBA has allocated at least $25 billion for this second PPP loan to eligible borrowers with a maximum of 10 employees or for loans of $250,000 or less to eligible borrowers in low or moderate income neighborhoods.

The Second Draw PPP Loan can be used to help fund payously, and every officer, injured or not, will need to deal with either the physical or psychological trauma of that day for their entire lives.

So no, let’s not just get past it.

Let’s find and charge and prosecute every single one of the cowards, terrorists and traitors to our country who incited, encouraged, supported and actually broke through the barriers, charged and assaulted our capitol, and assaulted the men and women who defended it.

Pierre Bordenave Sandpoint

BGH efficient with vaccination but would a larger space be better?...

Dear editor, Since I am over 75, I signed up for the COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 15. Having not heard from them in the prescribed two weeks, I went back to their site where the instruction was to contact my primary care

roll costs, including benefits.

Funds can also be used to pay for mortgage interest, rent, utilities, worker protection costs related to COVID-19, uninsured property damage costs caused by looting or vandalism during 2020 and certain supplier costs and expenses for operations.

A borrower is generally eligible for a Second Draw PPP Loan if the borrower previously received a First Draw PPP Loan and will or has used the full amount only for authorized purposes; has no more than 300 employees; and can demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020.

To apply for a Second Draw PPP Loan, a borrower will need to complete an application, provide documentation showing a 25% or more decline in business from comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020 and provide the lender with the First Draw PPP Loan number. Talk to your banker or tax accountant for more information about how to apply for this assistance. physician. I did this on Feb. 1 and to my surprise was given an appointment at Bonner General Health at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 2. I arrived at 5 p.m. and saw that they were set up in the waiting room. I was given a form to fill out and ushered into the waiting room and received the Moderna vaccine at 5:07 p.m. I was then told to wait another 15 minutes and set up an appointment for the second dose on March 2.

So, although everything went smoothly, I felt too many people (probably at least 30) albeit masked, were waiting in a rather poorly ventilated room. I should think a larger room should be available in Sandpoint so that those getting the vaccine would not run the risk of catching COVID-19. I ended up spending more time indoors getting the vaccine than I have anywhere in the past 10 months.

Donald L. Kass Sandpoint

OUTDOORS Virtual Boulder Mountain Tour Nordic ski event to take place at Schweitzer

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The 48th annual Boulder Mountain Tour Nordic ski event has changed from an in-person event in Sun Valley to an in-person ski-where-you-are-event due to COVID-19.

Sandpoint’s BMT Community Organizer Katie Bradish — who first participated in the event in 2019 in Sun Valley — is organizing a race day at the Schweitzer Nordic Trails on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 8 a.m. Anyone who would like to participate in the event can join that day, or the BMT will accept race times any time from Feb. 1-7. “[The BMT] is the best known (and maybe the only?) ski marathon in Idaho and is best known for its 1,100 feet of elevation loss,” Bradish told the Reader. “When we do the digital version here at Schweitzer, there are certainly no options to lose elevation. We’ll be gaining for sure.”

Participants can choose to race a 15K or 30K route, with laps and loops on the same train permitted. Skiers can also opt to participate at Mount Spokane or other local Nordic centers.

There are four different difficulty levels available to ski at Schweitzer: Black includes laps on Coyote Canyon, Blue+ includes skiing all of Schweitzer’s 32K of trails, Blue incorporates laps on Cloudwalker, and Green can be achieved by skiing out-and-back laps on the roundabout trail, which provides the least challenging terrain in the area. The Green option is the best for beginners looking to feel successful in their early distance efforts.

“I am still a new skier,” Bradish said.

“This is my third session with skinny skis underfoot. I came into this sport after a period of a lot of distance trail running and my meat suit was showing wear and tear. …

Participants at a past BMT are all smiles at the starting line. Photo courtesy Boulder Mountain Tour.

Skiing feels like a more sustainable, lifetime sport. It’s also a great way to be outside in the winter.”

Bradish said ideal Nordic skiing conditions dovetail nicely for those who seek powder for downhill skiing.

“Big dumps of snow equal great lift service and not such great Nordic,” she said.

“When there is no new snow, hit the Nordic center.”

For those participating for the first time in this self-supported, virtual distance race, Bradish offered a few tips to log the best possible time: wear a watch to track distance and clock your time. She also said to carry water and food.

“If you are going out as hard as you possibly can, consider fueling with gels,” she said. “If you are taking more of a distance tour approach, real, actual food should work just fine.”

She also said for participants to feel free to wear previous race bibs, BMT hats and race suits.

“And wax your skis, folks,” she added.

As this is not an official Schweitzer event, other skiers and bikers will be on the trail, so be polite and yield to others while on the trails. There will also be no food, water or course markers, so come prepared to self-support while on the trail. Finally, there is no race sweeper, so pay attention to the trail maps.

Participants need to purchase a Schweitzer Nordic trail pass prior to the event, which are available online at schweitzer.com.

The race fee is $39 for adults and $25 for juniors, which includes a race hat, sponsor collateral, stickers and a training plan.

Sign up at bouldermountaintour.com.

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Mad about Science:

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Columnist There are endless opinions out there regarding how to train dogs into being attentive and obedient companions, and not everyone is going to agree on the best methods. But in recent years, scientific studies have pointed repeatedly to positive affirmation tactics as the best way to encourage wanted behaviors and avoid fear response issues in young dogs.

With adequate time and practice, anyone can understand the intricacies behind training the ideal companion.

Potty training Gone are the days of rubbing your dog’s nose in their mess on the carpet. Research shows that such a punishment teaches the dog nothing, and honestly, how would you like it if someone did that to you?

The key components to successful potty training are consistency and realistic expectations. When you first bring home a pup, keep a timer on hand to remind yourself to take them out every half hour or so, visit the same place in the yard each time and come up with a key word they’ll learn to recognize as a command for “focus on relieving yourself, please.” With my dog, I chose “go potty,” but feel free to get creative and choose a word that doesn’t sound like any other command.

If and when the pup does his or her business, throw a party.

Lose your mind. Praise that thing like it just won you a blue ribbon at a premier dog show. Feel free to incorporate treats, but lots of love should suffice for sending 10 /

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Brought to you by:

dog training the message: “That was correct.

That was good. That’s how to potty.”

But keep in mind: puppies can’t be house trained in a day.

They need to be watched during the early training stages. If you see them get into a squat on the carpet, shout “no,” maybe even clap — startle them, then promptly take them outside to their potty spot and once the magic happens, throw another praise party.

Physical abuse is unnecessary, and could result in a pup who is simply afraid to pee.

If a pup pees indoors and you don’t see it happen, there is no point in punishment. The dog won’t know what you’re mad about, because it is no longer doing the naughty action. Buy some scent neutralizing spray, clean the area and vow to do better next time.

The science behind potty training comes down to repetition — dogs, like human children, need to experience something several times before it clicks. Above all, keep in mind that your dog will always remember what results in a “good dog” happy dance, so use that to your advantage.

Social training Research suggests that puppies don’t begin developing feelings of fear until about five weeks of age, meaning that until then, anxiety is low in pups.

Ideally, breeders will spend the early weeks of a pup’s life incorporating play and plenty of physical touch while stress is almost nonexistent.

By eight weeks, when puppies typically go home to their new families, that anxiety increases. However, it is still immensely important to introduce

new experiences to pups each day, but with an understanding that overstimulation could leave a negative imprint. For example, it might not be a good idea to let a 2-month-old puppy loose at a kid’s birthday party, just in case they get mishandled and end up hating children. Instead, take the puppy to a park, let it observe kids and maybe even let the children interact with the puppy in a controlled environment.

It is also helpful to get your dog used to having someone in their face before embarking on veterinarian or groomer visits.

Consistent examination of paws, teeth and ears while just hanging out at home will make that experience in the hands of a stranger a little less scary.

Also keep in mind that veterinarian visits are often something dogs come to love or hate, depending on how that experience is introduced at an early age. Ask friends about vets that they trust, and once you choose one, incorporate a ton of treats and praise into the experience.

Basically, if you want your dog to exhibit predictable behaviors while out in the world, make those worldly situations more predictable for your dog.

Advanced training Dogs can be trained to be more than just trusty domestic companions. Search dogs, police dogs, service dogs, herding dogs and other working canines are living proof that a dogs’ intelligence knows no limits, and people have spent millennia perfecting the human-dog bond in order to make the world a safer place.

Despite these tasks being substantially more complex than teaching a dog to sit or fetch, fundamental concepts remain

the same: repetition, consistency and expectations.

Search and Rescue dog training is a perfect reflection of this simplicity. SAR dogs are taught to find a human scent and then track it. Trainers encourage this drive to “find” in dogs by associating the scent with something the dog wants, like a toy, then hiding that item in all kinds of conditions and encouraging the dog to find it.

This training effectively makes life-or-death situations into a game for a highly driven SAR dog, who — through hundreds of hours of repetition — learns to find people in avalanches and collapsed buildings. It doesn’t get much cooler than that, and dogs are already pretty cool.

Stay curious, 7B. Or, for our canine readers: Woof woof, woof.

Random Corner ines?

Don’t know much about vacc • In the past 60 years, vaccines helped eradicate one disease (smallpox) and are close to eradicating another (polio).

• Vaccines prevent more than 2.5 million deaths each year.

• Scientific studies and reviews continue to show no relationship between vaccines and autism. The supposed, now debunked, link was first made in the 1990s in the journal Lancet, which published a story by British researcher Andrew Wakefield, MD, who falsely linked the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism in young children.

The findings were later discovered to have been a fraud, and the study was fully retracted by the Lancet, but many conspiracy theorists still cite the study to back up their claims that MMR vaccines are linked to autism.

• Vaccines helped reduce measles deaths globally by 78% between 2000 and 2008. In sub-Saharan Africa, deaths dropped by 92% in the same period.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a 99% reduction in the incidence of bacterial meningitis caused by

We can help!

Haemophilus influenzae since the introduction of the vaccination against the disease in 1988.

• Most diseases prevented by vaccines are no longer common in the United States. If vaccines weren’t used, just a few cases could quickly turn into a pandemic.

• Baseball legend Hank Aaron died from natural causes two weeks after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in January. Anti-vaxxers such as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have promoted a conspiracy theory that Aaron’s death was part of a “wave of suspicious deaths” related to COVID-19 vaccines, but an official with the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office, which examined Aaron’s body following his death, told FactCheck.org that he died “due to natural causes,” and that no evidence exists to link his death with the vaccine. He was 86.

• Immunization through vaccination is still the safest way to protect against disease. Vaccines produce an immune response similar to that produced by the natural infection, but without the serious risks of death of disability connected with natural infection.

PERSPECTIVES

A bipartisan plan to help an Idaho hero

By Reps. Ilana Rubel and Mike Kingsley Reader Contributors Sgt. Jeremy Kitzhaber, a proud Idahoan, served 22 years in the Air Force with the highest distinction. He deployed to four continents, and among the many honors he received are the NATO Medal and the National Veterans of Foreign Wars “Beyond the Call” Award. Unfortunately, his time in the service of our country left him with more than just a cabinet full of medals. It left him with Stage 4 cancer. His duties in the Air Force included handling radioactive materials, and now, at age 51, his doctors have declared him terminal.

After 20 rounds of chemotherapy and multiple surgeries that removed parts of his intestines and other organs, Jeremy has massive internal scarring and is in constant pain. Every day, he must take a fistful of opioids that cause nightmares, carry a high risk of addiction and overdose, and threaten deadly intestinal obstructions.

His wife carries NARCAN everywhere in case he over-

Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise. doses on these potentially fatal opioids.

While Jeremy dedicated his life to serving his country, Idaho is not currently doing all it can and should to repay him.

What Jeremy really needs is not a backpack full of opioids that cause devastating side effects, but medical cannabis.

Numerous doctors, including his oncologist, have recommended he take medical cannabis, but he can’t because Idaho is one of only 14 states banning it. He actually tried it in other states and it worked very well, relieving his pain without the nightmares and intestinal

Rep. Mike Kingsley, R-Lewiston. problems caused by opioids.

Almost every jurisdiction that borders Idaho permits medical cannabis, and some have suggested he just smuggle it in, but Jeremy is not a law-breaker.

Instead, he spent the past two years drafting legislation to carefully regulate and control medical cannabis, containing extensive safeguards so Idaho would not turn into Oregon.

Jeremy’s bill is modeled after Utah’s legislation, but is more strict. The cannabis must be in medical dosage form (blister-sealed packaging) in very limited doses, no growing or production allowed, cannabis

card needed for possession and only medical providers who can prescribe opioids could prescribe cannabis. Also, if a person misuses their card to obtain cannabis for someone else, it would be revoked immediately.

We are state representatives from different parties, but we are co-sponsoring the “Sergeant Kitzhaber Medical Cannabis Act” because pain is not partisan. We agree Idahoans should not become criminals for seeking safer treatment.

Thirty-six states have legalized medical cannabis, and 22 of these have not progressed to recreational marijuana. Many of these are red states, like Ohio, Utah, Oklahoma and Missouri, which have found a way to get sick people the treatment they need without unsavory pot dispensaries popping up or kids getting access to marijuana.

We can get patients help for pain without stepping on a slippery slope, and this is what most Idahoans want. A 2019 poll from FM3 Research showed 72% of Idahoans were in favor of legalizing cannabis for medical purposes, and that

number has likely climbed higher since the poll was taken. There is strong evidence cannabis is a much safer treatment than opioids and would better serve those suffering from a variety of illnesses, like cancer, epilepsy, ALS and multiple sclerosis.

We have seen efforts this session to put a permanent ban on cannabis for any purpose in Idaho’s Constitution. Instead, for the sake of Jeremy and the thousands of Idahoans in his situation, we believe it is time to provide a safe, regulated way to access the treatment they need. We hope you will join us in helping an Idaho hero and passing the Sergeant Kitzhaber Medical Cannabis Act. Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, serves as Idaho House minority leader and on the Health and Welfare, Resources and Conservation, Transportation and Defense, and Ways and Means committees. Rep. Mike Kingsley, R-Lewiston, serves as vice chair of the Local Government Committee, as well as on the Commerce and Human Resources and Health and Welfare committees.

Winter saunter: Learn about area animals, plants and landscapes with a guided hike

By Reader Staff The Libby Hostel Base Camp will host its Winter Saunter on Saturday, Feb. 13 — a combination of safe space winter strolls and road tours to observe and appreciate the region’s winter surroundings.

Along the route, participants will visit private land sites of riverside, creek, wetland, forest habitats and birding viewpoints to observe and discuss winter birding, animal and bird tracks, sign and scat, and evergreen/

deciduous vegetation.

Groups will be limited to eight participants, covering diverse locations by caravanning in their own vehicles, stopping and hopping out at roadside stops, and taking a few short walks or mini-hikes on private lands of less than one mile round trip. Trek guides will also present some of the history of the Salish-Kootenai Peoples, David Thompson’s party, and the Lewis and Clark expeditions.

Participants should plan on

meeting at Riverfront Park in Libby, Mont., at 9 a.m. (MST).

Riverfront Park is located on the southwest side of where Highway 37 begins to cross the bridge over the Kootenai River in Libby. There are blueand-white signs to the turnoff before you cross the bridge.

Groups will meet under the large timber frame shelter, and go over the day’s plan. Organizers ask that trekkers arrive with full gas tanks; water; lunch; appropriate layers and boots for the weather; hats

and gloves for the extremities; binoculars; cameras; and any bird, track and plant field guide books they might have. Snowshoes are also advised, in case of deeper snows. Wrap up time will be approximately 3 p.m.

(MST).

The class is sponsored by Libby Hostel Base Camp (libbyhostelbasecampairbnb.com), which can provide accommodations if needed. If the Libby Hostel is full, check the Venture and the Country inns, and mention this class for a small

discount rate. The Outdoor Educational Program is designed as a COVID-19-aware outdoor experience where all will maintain safe distances. The instructor for the day has more than 43 years of field experience in forestry, wildlife research and land surveying, and more than 20 years of teaching outdoor educational classes.

For more information and to register, email b_baxter53@yahoo.com or call 406-291-2154.

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FEATURE

Down the rabbit hole

How conspiracy theories are changing the world for the worse

By Ben Olson Reader Staff There has never been a more difficult time and place for truth than present-day America.

When insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, they were united under a banner of support for former-President Donald Trump, but delving deeper into the matter shows a darker foundation: the widespread acceptance and consequences of belief in unfounded conspiracy theories.

It is an issue that becomes more and more important as we travel further into a post-truth America.

What are conspiracy theories?

A conspiracy theory is a belief that some covert, often influential organization or group is responsible for a particular circumstance or event. It’s difficult to prove a conspiracy theory false in the eyes of those who believe in it, largely because they rely on circular reasoning and deny facts that disprove their beliefs.

Conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon; belief in these fringe theories has been prevalent throughout human history, usually as a byproduct of societal crisis situations that cause impactful and rapid societal change that calls established power structures and societal norms into question.

“Evidence suggests that the aversive feelings that people experience when in crisis — fear, uncertainty and the feeling of being out of control — stimulate a motivation to make sense of the situation, increasing the likelihood of perceiving conspiracies in social situations,” wrote Jan-Willem van Prooijen and Karen M. Douglas in a paper published on the SAGE Journals website titled “Conspiracy Theories as Part of History: The Role of Societal Crisis Situations.” van Prooijen and Douglas contend that people continuously experience substantial uncertainty and fear as a result of societal crisis situations, such as terrorist attacks, plane crashes, natural 12 /

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disasters or war.

“Since people have a fundamental need to understand why events occurred, particularly in the case of negative or unexpected events,” van Prooijen and Douglas wrote, “crisis situations often elicit sense-making narratives among citizens that become part of their representations of history.”

In other words, when the going gets tough, some choose to turn away from reality and invent their own narratives to explain the unexplainable.

Looking back over some more notable conspiracy theories in modern American history, it’s easy to see this link between societal crises and invented narratives. After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, several allegations arose that the CIA was behind the assassination. Also during the 1960s, the John Birch Society — a radical far-right organization — gave rise to a conspiracy theory that the United Nations would “soon arrive” in black helicopters to bring the U.S. under UN control.

More recently, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a theory emerged that President George W. Bush was involved in plotting and carrying out the terrorist attacks on American citizens — a conspiracy theory that still exists today. Finally, those who believe in the QAnon conspiracy theory think there is a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic pedophiles running a global child sex-trafficking ring and plotting against Trump, who they believe will ultimately reveal the contours of the conspiracy and hold those responsible accountable in a “great awakening,” as they term it.

Pairing each of these examples with what was going on in history is a visual clue for how these theories might have been born.

The JFK assassination kicked off the turbulent decade of the 1960s, which saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, numerous assassinations, an unpopular war and a counterculture revolution in America. The John Birch black-helicopter conspiracy was a nod to the Cold War

and feelings that Communist forces were amassing to take down America. The 9/11 conspiracies were born out of the trauma of the first attack on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor. QAnon was born on an online message board called 4chan as right-wing extremists responded to the rise of the Trump administration, promoting divisive attitudes — among them that former-President Barack Obama was actually a Kenyan citizen and had falsified his birth certification, and that “crooked” Hillary Clinton was behind a variety of nefarious deeds — that polarized the nation.

Each theory grew as a byproduct of these particularly troubling times, and no matter how much evidence or science were marshalled to combat these theories, they were all still given oxygen by the next generation of conspiracy theorists. Sometimes that oxygen can erupt into a conflagration that shows just how dangerous fringe beliefs can be.

Picking and choosing the science Joseph Uscinski is a professor at University of Miami, Fla., who has made studying conspiracy theories his life’s work. He’s published several peer-reviewed papers on the topic, including serving as editor of the multi-author study Conspiracy Theories and the People who Believe Them.

Uscinski told the Reader that a main reason so many conspiracy theories gain ground is that most people don’t think like scientists.

“They don’t sit around and scrutinize their conclusions rationally,” Uscinski said. “They’ll ignore evidence that doesn’t fit. … People pick and choose the science they want.”

Uscinski contends that belief in conspiracy theories are not tied solely to the far right, but cross the

political spectrum.

“I’ve dealt with people who talk about the conspiracy theory regarding Obama’s birth certificate and they says it’s just stupid, but that there’s good evidence that Bush blew up the Twin Towers,” he said.

“What this gets down to is, everyone likes to believe that their beliefs are true, so there must be good evidence for their beliefs. When you tell them there’s another reason for why they believe, they get upset … they can’t seem to detach these arguments about evidence — or the lack of evidence.”

A big tank of oxygen When Trump entered the presidential race in 2015, he descended the escalator at Trump Tower and immediately began his years-long campaign to divide America and use fear to his advantage. Years before, Trump peddled the racist conspiracy theory about Obama’s birth certificate, claiming that the 44th president was in fact born in Kenya. After Obama finally relented and provided a copy of his long form birth certificate to prove he was born in Hawaii, Trump demurred, saying, “a lot of people feel it wasn’t a proper certificate.”

It’s not the only conspiracy theory that Trump has promoted.

He also indicated support that there was a “Deep State” in his White House thwarting his actions, that Jeffrey Epstein didn’t kill himself, that TV host Joe Scarborough murdered an intern while he was a congressman, that Ted Cruz’s father was involved with the JFK assassination, that Obama “spied” on his campaign, that Osama bin Laden wasn’t actually killed by U.S. soldiers, that millions of people voted illegally in 2016 and, finally, that there was widespread voter fraud in 2020 that led to Democrats “stealing” the election.

With Trump in the White House — sometimes seemingly serving as conspiracist-in-chief — it was like a big tank of oxygen was added to the flames of dozens of conspiracy theories. It was anyone’s guess when the results of this effort exploded.

That’s exactly what happened on Jan. 6, when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol — years of baseless conspiracy theories being made mainstream by Trump finally reached a culmination that resulted in the Capitol being breached for the first time since the War of 1812.

It wasn’t the British nor foreign terrorists who led the charge, either — it was Trump’s own most-fervent supporters who truly believed that the election was “stolen” (despite any credible evidence) and the only way to right the wrong was to heed Trump’s words and descend on the Capitol, with the intent to halt the official counting of Electoral College votes that would certify Joe Biden’s win as the 46th president.

The result, which left five people dead and dozens more wounded, is one of the darkest days in our modern history.

Uscinski said Trump’s rise to political power was due in large part to his ability to separate himself from the herd during the Republican primaries in 2016.

“When Trump got in the race in 2015, 25 other Republicans were running, all more experienced and more Republican,” Uscinski said. “He couldn’t compete on normal grounds to vie for party nominations, so he went after an underserved part of the Republican Party — the conspiracy theorists.”

Uscinski said it was Trump’s penchant for speaking in conspiratorial terms that helped galvanize this support, but the functioning of corporate media helped quite a bit, too.

“Because he speaks this way, in language that is clearly conspiratorial and endorses a lot of conspiracies, the mainstream media then had to cover it,” Uscinski said.

In covering Trump’s baseless theories, the 24-hour news cycle

< see CONSPIRACY, page 13 >

< CONSPIRACY, con’t from page 12 >

gave him a megaphone to reach the far corners of the political spectrum where the fringe often invents its own realities to follow.

But... why?

One common question asked about those who believe in fringe theories is, “Why?” “There are lots of different psychological factors driving belief in particular theories,” Uscinski said. “One of the things is the need for uniqueness. Someone wants to feel like they’re unique, so they’ll believe in a conspiracy theory.”

It’s this feeling of “uniqueness” that conspiracists cling to, believing that they are somehow in possession of knowledge that nobody else has. The same phenomenon plays out when talking with your friends about a popular band — there will always be one member of the group who claims they listened to the band before they were popular, when they were just playing dive bars or house shows.

Everyone wants to be in on the ground floor, especially when it comes to knowledge. But it’s that desire for uniqueness that creates resistance to accepting facts that dispute theories outright. Sometimes it’s the very nature of a simple answer that gains someone’s attention.

“Conspiracy theories provide people with simplified answers, specifically to questions of how a certain crisis situation emerged, and which societal actors can and cannot be trusted,” van Prooijen and Douglas wrote in “Conspiracy Theories as Part of History.”

“These answers are highly relevant for how people cope with crisis situations,” they wrote. “Crisis situations are likely to have the psychological effect on people that they become uncertain or feel that they cannot control their environment anymore.”

Put in simpler terms, conspiracy theories help some people make sense of the world by specifying the causes of important events, which further helps them predict and anticipate the future.

While some conspiracy theories are proven true — for example, Watergate and CIA “mind control” experiments on U.S. citizens — the vast majority are quickly debunked, yet continue to gather followers who reject science or facts, instead supplanting reality with their own version of events.

Conspiracy theorists are everywhere, with a large population here in North Idaho after decades of anti-government sentiments have resulted in several elected officials promoting fringe theories under the guise of their office.

Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler wrote a letter to Gov. Brad Little last summer protesting the governor’s stay-at-home order due to COVID-19, citing a letter from a Florida businessman that included conspiracy-loaded terms such as “globalism” and the “New World Order,” the latter a fringe belief that hypothesizes a secret power elite is conspiring to rule the world through an authoritarian world government, which will replace sovereign nation-states.

In the letter cited by Wheeler, the original author wrote, “President Obama was a puppet for the Globalists, and he helped equalize the power in the world by helping to build up other world economies (such as China).”

Moving forward The most alarming conspiracy theory at present is the growing QAnon movement, which started online and now has followers throughout the world.

While some followers of Q claim they don’t believe everything involved in the conspiracy, the majority of adherents have indicated they will stop at nothing to shed light on the “truth.”

Newly elected U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has recently made national headlines with her QAnon beliefs, facing several calls to resign after promoting support for a range of conspiracy theories. Videos resurfaced recently showing Greene harassing David Hogg, a Parkland, Fla., shooting survivor and gun rights advocate. She has also indicated that the 2020 election was “stolen,” that the Sandy Hook and Parkland school shootings were “false flags” and even indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians before she was elected to Congress.

Greene is facing harsh criticism from Democratic members of Congress, but so far has been given a pass by most of her Republican colleagues. She has rejected calls for her resignation and doubled-down on many of her more controversial statements.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., broke from his colleagues’ silence on

Feb. 1, issuing a sharp rebuke of Greene’s comments, referring to her “loony lies and conspiracy theories” as a “cancer” on the Republican Party.

“Somebody who’s suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon on 9/11, that horrifying school shootings were pre-staged and that the Clintons crashed JFK Jr.’s airplane is not living in reality,” said McConnell, who prior to the Capitol siege of Jan. 6 had been a steadfast supporter of Trump, regardless of his many baseless claims, and mounted a years-long campaign of obstruction against the Obama administration. “This has nothing to do with the challenges facing American families or the robust debates on substance that can strengthen our party.”

Greene quickly fired back on Twitter, claiming the “real cancer for the Republican Party is weak Republicans who only know how to lose gracefully. This is why we are losing our country.”

Instead of Republicans in Congress pushing back against Greene’s violent and fact-free rhetoric, she was instead given prominent assignments on the House Education and Labor and Budget committees — that is, a member of Congress who believes the Sandy Hook and Parkland school shootings were “false flag” events is now on an education committee.

How to avoid believing the unbelievable Conspiracy theories are not unique to our time and culture.

They have traveled alongside fear and crisis for generations, but with the instantaneous worldwide connection that the internet provides, these once fringe theories are now broadcast around the world.

Uscinski told the Reader that he set up a Google alert about eight years ago with a handful of terms, such as “conspiracy theory,” “aliens,” “bigfoot,” “JFK” and many others.

“I used to get about five or six news items and blog posts a day,” Uscinski said. “Now it’s over 100 every day. It’s a big topic. … This is the era of post-truth.”

Chances are, you or someone you know probably believes in at least one conspiracy theory. Some may balk at the idea of a secret cabal of pedophiles, but firmly believe that vaccinations cause autism. Others might laugh at those who believe the Earth is flat, but

swear that millions of dead people voted in the 2020 election.

How do we, as a people, join forces to help stop the spread of conspiracy theories? How do we reason with those who do believe in unfounded fringe ideas?

The first step is not to spread false information in the first place.

In order to reduce the spread of dis- and misinformation, media literacy needs to be taught in schools. Simply put, media literacy is the ability to identify different types of media and understand the messages that they’re sending.

More to the point, it’s the ability to separate a real news story from the chaff that clogs our news feeds from overtly biased outlets and individuals.

Kids take in an enormous amount of information via the media on a daily basis. Between TV, newspapers, social media, memes, video games and advertising, most of today’s youth might think themselves savvy consumers of media when they are actually the ones with the biggest targets on their backs.

Habits learned while young have a tendency to stick with us through the years, which is why it’s crucial to nip this problem in the bud before we’re too set in our ways.

According to a research published in the journal Science, American Facebook users over 65 shared nearly seven times as many articles from fake news domains as those aged between 18 and 29.

Media literacy taught in secondary schools will help the next generation be able to think critically and check sources before spreading information that has been debunked by reputable sources. Furthermore, when confronted with a conspiratorial theory, media literate students will have the tools to ask critical questions in order to suss out whether the “fact” they have read is really true, or is only serving to confuse or befuddle the argument.

Those who understand the flow of information might be more able to look at a particular story shared on BBC, AP News and ABC saying one thing and compare it to the blog post on flatearthglobalistpatriot.shadyurl saying another and determine which source seems more credible. Hint: It’s not always the source you personally agree with.

Skepticism is not necessarily a bad thing. Skepticism allows

scientists to consider all possibilities and systematically question all information before arriving at a hypothesis.

“Some amount of skepticism is healthy in a democracy,” Uscinski said.

Where it breaks down is when skepticism turns into denial, which is the act of clinging to an idea or belief despite the presence of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Increasing our media literacy — both in schools and at home — can help separate skepticism from denial, allowing our next generation of thinkers to navigate the ever-turbulent waters of information gathering with more tools in their kit. Embracing educated skepticism can possibly help our future leaders to avoid the low-hanging fruit of conspiracy theories and think more critically when it matters.

“We live in a complicated world and common sense really isn’t that good,” Uscinski said.

“That’s why we have experts.

Things are incredibly complicated, but we’re able to get by because we rely on other experts. What conspiracy theorists do is eschew the experts and come up with their own conclusions.”

As part of his studies, Uscinski has identified a pattern between conspiracy theorists and education and wealth.

“In terms of education, in general, conspiracy thinking is associated with less education and less wealth,” he said.

That’s not to say that everyone who believes in chemtrails is stupid and everyone who knows the Earth is round is intelligent, but overall those who practice better media literacy are more able to determine whether a statement is true or filled with enough lies to send Pinocchio to the moon (which we did land on, as a matter of fact).

“There are an infinite number of conspiracy theories out there,” Uscinski said. “If we were to poll on all of them, most people will believe in at least one or two. Some believe them all. It’s not dichotomous between ‘us and them.’ We are all on a spectrum. We pick and choose the ones we want to believe in. … There have been a lot of answers to why people believe in conspiracy theories. It’s never going to be a simple answer.”

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HEALTH

A grain of salt

A health column... sort of

Meditation and the great escape

By Ammi Midstokke Reader Columnist

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It should come as no surprise that if there is any means of dissociating from stress, discomfort, emotions, boredom, intrusive thoughts, yammering children, apocalyptic outbreaks or life in general, I’ve probably tried it.

In some cases (Sudoku, peanut butter cups), I’ve been addicted to it. In other cases (sex, cocaine), my prefrontal cortex seemed to have just enough wherewithal to keep me from joining a 12-step program. This is a small miracle because I really like to dissociate.

Miriam-Websters says to dissociate is to “separate from association or union with another.” Most of us are dissociating while we simultaneously expose ourselves to that thing we’re trying not to deal with. Some fine examples of this is how much we need to drink alcohol at family gatherings and scrolling our phones while our kids complain about algebra.

For years, enlightened elitists and paid professionals have naively asked me, “Have you ever tried meditation?” as if it were the cure to all my ailments.

“No, but mushrooms. Is that the same?” Granted, I had the emotional maturity of an acorn at the time, so I don’t think it even qualified as a vision quest.

I read about meditation everywhere.

I even read books on meditation and “mindfulness practices” and eat raisins and breathe in the suffering of the world and breathe out… well it was supposed to be light and love, but it came out more like peanut butter cup breath and / February 4, 2021

mechanisms. It was worth a try.

Here’s what I’ve found: If you take an accomplished dissociating outdoor enthusiast and offer them a soundtrack of a mountain lake lapping at cool stones with forest birds tweeting in the background, they may slip into an elective coma.

But here’s the best part (moms… read carefully): I told my whole family that I was going to learn how to meditate and that it required absolutely no interruptions. I said this with ominous severity, as if the gods might strike them down should my spiritual quest be impeded by drivel about being out of bread or something far less important than the very righteous work I was clearly going Ammi Midstokke. to be doing.

Now, I announce, “I’m going to go food guilt. meditate,” and march off in the general The thing about meditation and the direction of my room with a big pillow trauma survivor, in particular the comand they basically pretend I don’t exist plex layers of trauma I have delicately until I emerge. So far, I only got busted woven into my history along with rocking out to Macklemore once. I told shame, perpetration and regret, is that them I was working on my levitation. the idea of being left to our own devicBefore I started meditating, I had to es in our own minds is terrifying. And hide in the bathroom for privacy and arguably unsafe, according to some.

I’m pretty sure the kids were ready to In my mind, there is a dark, musty gift me colonics for my birthday. cellar of soggy cardboard boxes, unlaI have also discovered that there is beled of course, stacked one on top of great calm in listening to silence, in the other. Trying to drown out the noise allowing the mind to run out its caof the world leaves me opening those cophony of thoughts from the day, in damn things to discover what’s inside. imagining sunlight pouring over my It’s not exactly Christmas decorations. body, or light beaming from my heart.

Years of therapy coupled with the I won’t pretend for a moment that I sexy suggestions in all my self-care am good at it, doing it “right,” or any manuals somehow had me start wonmore enlightened than I was when I dering if meditation couldn’t serve as began. But I can say that I have found a the greatest dissociation of all. Also, it place of reprieve, and that much to my fits nicely into all the other stereotypical surprise, it was in me all along. things that shape my archetype: middle-aged woman living in a mountain Ammi Midstokke can be contacted at town who drives a Subaru and orders ammimarie@gmail.com. matcha lattes.

Also, meditating is more socially acceptable than most of my former coping

FEATURE

The dark and the light

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Contributor Poor financial regulation. Reckless lending. Global pandemics. Many culprits have shaken Wall Street to its foundations over the decades. Last week, a new agent of chaos joined the list, this one somewhat more unlikely: Reddit gamers.

It wasn’t any great mystery how they did it, either. They simply used the same voodoo logic that underpins the entire financial system to beat billion-dollar hedge funds at their own game. All it required was internal cohesion, a clear-cut strategy, the ability to not blink under pressure and, most important, numbers. And that is one thing gamers have in abundance.

I’ve always disliked the term “gamer,” even though I sink more than enough time into video games to rightly earn the label.

It’s a strange thing to hinge an identity upon. I love movies, too, but I’d never consider calling myself a “filmer.” It hardly captures the totality of who I am.

Nevertheless, I can’t deny that video games are a uniquely powerful force in the constellation of shared Millennial experiences. Gamers Of A Certain Age (a polite euphemism for aging 30-somethings) recall video games growing along with them, from the relative simplicity of the Nintendo Entertainment System to the enormous complexity of modern 3-D games. Technology that once struggled to draw more than a few three-colored 2-D sprites at a time can now handle physics engines, complex lighting systems and billions of polygons per microsecond.

That shared experience is powerful cultural mortar. It’s the foundation for online social platforms with millions of members and expressed through innumerable internet memes. It has launched the careers of commentators, analysts, critics, content creators, esports competitors and streamers. In 2020, riding a burst of pandemic-related demand, the video game industry surpassed the size of the global film industry and the North American sports industry combined.

All this is to say that the video game industry’s gravitational force is difficult to compare to anything else. Yet, all the numbers in the world can’t account for the intensity of emotion — a heady cocktail of nostalgia, enthusiasm and

borderline obsession — that video games capture. That, more than anything, is why games are a cultural force that can unify huge numbers to accomplish great good — or significant harm.

Steve Bannon, former chairman of Breitbart News and adviser to ex-President Donald Trump, knows this. In 2014, he threw his support behind the Gamergate controversy, an online harassment campaign that targeted women within the games industry. From the beginning, the goals of the Gamergate campaign were ill-defined and largely a reaction against the increased influence of progressive values in game design. But for the women targeted by the campaign, Gamergate meant weeks of nonstop death and rape threats.

On a larger scale, Gamergate helped codify the lexicon, icons and tactics of the alt-right. Just two years later, the online right-wing movement played a pivotal, maybe even determinative, role in the election of Trump as president of the United States.

But right-wingers aren’t the only ones using video games to mobilize and activate. In 2019, progressive U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez signal-boosted a charity stream of “Donkey Kong 64” by popular YouTuber H.Bomberguy, which raised nearly $350,000 for LGBTQ charities. It was a lesson in the effectiveness of video game streaming as an organizational tool. Ocasio-Cortez now regularly uses streaming for outreach, attracting more than 400,000 concurrent viewers during a November “Among Us” stream.

With the GameStop stock story, and its surrounding ramifications, gamers are responsible for another seismic news moment. Opinions are divided on whether Reddit’s assault on Wall Street is a positive or a negative development; but, it’s undeniable that the moment has brought unprecedented attention to the vicissitudes of the financial markets, with some cultural critics calling it a more effective protest than 2011’s Occupy Wall Street ever was.

If there’s one prediction you can take to the bank, it’s that video games’ cultural power isn’t going anywhere. If anything, it’s only going to grow more powerful as technology improves and the range of available experiences expands. As popular entertainment, as a competitive sport, as a medium for artistic expression,

A meditation on the power of gamers

games have grown to match more traditional, established formats.

It’s also unlikely that gamers, such as they are, will be anything other than wildly disparate in ideology and demographics. Once again, it’s only likely to expand as the medium itself expands. But if there’s a lesson to learn from the past few

Gaming culture has become a social and political force. Courtesy photo. years, it’s that anyone seeking to impact the broader national culture ignores them at their peril.

Cameron Rasmusson is editor emeritus of the Sandpoint Reader.

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PETS & ANIMALS

Keeping fur in the family

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff When Mandy Evans started her work as executive director of the Panhandle Animal Shelter about a decade ago, the shelter operated under a traditional animal welfare philosophy. For instance, if someone came in with a dog that needed surgery and they couldn’t afford it, the shelter would take that animal in — then rehome it to a new family.

That was the past. In recent years, Evans has worked to build a new system that focuses on keeping that owner and dog together, despite economic hardship or other issues that may have traditionally resulted in animal surrender.

“Why were we doing that?

Why would we take people’s pets away and put them with somebody else when they already have a loving family?” Evans said. “It’s this idea that, really, sheltering any animal should be the last resort.

We should be putting all of our

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time and energy toward trying to ... bridge that gap to access to medical care, food, supplies, training and support so that animals don’t need to come into the shelter.”

To mark this new era and better reflect the organization’s mission to make sheltering a small facet of day-to-day operation, Panhandle Animal Shelter has changed its name to Better Together Animal Alliance — a nonprofit offering food assistance, education and much more to support the animals who call North Idaho home.

Evans said that the key to making support possible has been simply asking pet owners what might help them avoid surrendering their animal. For example, maybe someone was moving into a new rental with vaccination requirements for pets, and the pet’s owner simply couldn’t afford them. Evans said the shelter often finds simple solutions to problems that pet owners believe may separate them from their furry family members.

“We find out — it’s easy,” she

said. “You just need vaccines?

That’s easy.”

While the shelter’s name might be changing, Evans said that the organization has operated in this manner — with an emphasis on support over surrendering — since about 2016. The belief that pets and families are “better together” lent itself perfectly to the organization’s new identity.

“It’s just a shift in mindset, where the value of work really shouldn’t be dictated by how many animals are in cages,” Evans said.

Evans said she hopes that each day, Better Together Animal Alliance can dedicate its work to celebrating the “human-animal bond.”

“I’ve experienced [it] in my life — the reason I am where I am is in large part due to my experience with a dog that I had,” Evans said. “I think that for people who open themselves up for that unique relationship, beautiful things happen. I just feel like we’re in the business of not only helping animals in transition, but

Panhandle Animal Shelter changes its name to Better Together Animal Alliance

really honoring the human-animal bond and keeping families together, especially in times like this when we know that people are really struggling.”

Evans said that she and her team are aware of several people in the community having a difficult time making ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that Better Together Animal Alliance will continue to offer assistance and a safe place to surrender animals should people need to do that. Ultimately, though, the organization’s goal is to offer enough support that people and their pets can both weather the current crisis.

People and their pets are better together.

Photo by Big White Dog Photography.

“I get up everyday knowing that I have the ability to preserve families, and make what I believe is a significant impact in their lives,” Evans said. “I think all of us, the whole team, is very motivated and moved to do that.”

Better Together Animal Alliance is located at 870 Kootenai Cut-off Road in Ponderay. To learn more about the nonprofit’s assistance programs and how to help, visit bettertogetheranimalalliance.org.

OUTDOORS

Fish and Game: Take down your bird feeders

Wildlife officials have detected a salmonella outbreak that’s killing birds in North Idaho

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Idaho Fish and Game is advising people throughout the Idaho Panhandle to take down and clean their bird feeders, after reports of sick and dying birds throughout the region pointed to the spread of harmful salmonella bacteria.

Sandpoint resident Jo Reitan said she and her neighbors in the Schweitzer Ranch Senior area began noticing that something was wrong with the birds around their homes sometime in the summer, but the issue really ramped up in the past few weeks.

“The neighbors noticed the birds were a bit lethargic,” she said, adding that “the birds would let them walk right up to

them.”

IDFG reports that the birds are dying of salmonellosis — a sickness caused by salmonella bacteria, and which is a “common and generally fatal bird disease,” according to a Jan. 11 press release. Wild birds transmit the disease to one another through saliva and droppings, and sick birds exhibit symptoms like “ruffled feathers, lethargy, diarrhea and appear very emaciated.”

Reitan said she and many people in her neighborhood are avid bird feeders and watchers, but they have all taken down their feeders at the recommendation of IFG. “It was so sad because they would get all puffed up,” Reitan said of the birds, “but it was because they were dying.”

While IDFG states that bird

feeders should be cleaned on a regular basis with soap and water, a salmonella outbreak requires a bleach solution. The department recommends a 1:10 bleach-to-water ratio, and also for homeowners to rake up any spilled seed from their lawns.

“The public can stop the spread of salmonellosis by temporarily halting the feeding of wild birds, which will encourage birds to disperse and forage naturally,” IDFG officials stated. “Although uncommon, salmonella bacteria can be transmitted to humans through direct contact of sick birds or droppings. The public should take precautions when handling birds, bird feeders or bird baths by wearing gloves and thoroughly washing hands.

Additionally, pet owners are recommended to keep cats in-

side to ensure they do not catch or consume sick birds.”

Those with questions about the salmonellosis outbreak in North Idaho can contact the Panhandle Regional office at 208-769-1414.

A pine sisken, photographed

by Douglas Faulder for Creative Commons.

Idaho State Parks smashed visitation record in 2020

By Reader Staff More people visited Idaho state parks in 2020 than in any year before — by a margin of more than 1.2 million guests.

According to the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, a staggering 7.6 million people frequented the parks last year, obliterating the prior record set in 2019.

“It’s a mind-boggling number,” said Brian Beckley, chairman of the Idaho Parks and Recreation Board, which oversees the department. “Never before have we had so many people come out to our parks.

But with the pandemic keeping people indoors and isolated, outdoor recreation became one of the few things people could do responsibly to beat COVID

cabin fever.”

The visitation figure accounts for day users and campers. The previous record stood at nearly 6.5 million visitors and capped off several years of steady-but-not-dramatic growth.

Beckley said it is great to see so many people experiencing some of Idaho’s most special places, but it also meant more strain and wear on park facilities — and staff.

“No doubt, it’s been tough keeping up with the demand,” he said. “But our people did their best under some trying circumstances to give the public recreational opportunities.”

The numbers show the parks are most heavily used for day visits (7 million) but also host a large number of campers (647,743). The camping figure

was below the 2019 number but the slight dip was more than offset by the rush of day visitors. Part of the camping decrease in 2020 was due to the two-month campground closure at the beginning of the pandemic.

No park experienced the visitation crush more than Lucky Peak State Park, which hosted 1 million visitors for the first time.

“We have an amazing staff that got us through it,” said Gary Shelley, manager of Lucky Peak and Eagle Island state parks, both near the capital city of Boise. “I’m also proud of our visitors and our community for being so generally understanding and cooperative with the need for COVID-19 precautions. It could have gone badly, but they

came out, stayed safe and had a good time.”

Number Idaho state park visits — 2014-2020 2020: 7,671,582 2019: 6,468,159 2018: 6,401,356

Round Lake State Park in winter.

Photo courtesy Idaho State Parks.

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events

February 4 - 11, 2021

THURSDAY, FEbruary 4

Trivia at the Longshot 6pm @ The Longshot Trivia night every other Thursday

FriDAY, FEbruary 5

Live Music w/ Bright Moments Trio 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Enjoy local jazz with your favorite wine Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 7:30-9:30pm @ The Back Door Sandpoint’s own blues man with soul

Artist Reception for Nicole Black @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Stop by the Winery to view their February Artist of the Month Nicole Black, who has created ceramics, jewelery, paintings and more for over 20 years.

SATURDAY, FEbruary 6

13th Annual Heart Ball – Online!

Live Music w/ Kosh @ bonnergeneral.org - look under “events” 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Participants will be able to watch the live event Originally from SF-Bay and a memon Zoom, plus get in on the fundraising. The ber of the ‘80s metal band Tsunami. online dessert auction is also live. Proceeds Playing classic rock and pop favorites benefit the BGH Emergency Department First Free Saturday at the Museum Live Music w/ Benny Baker 10am-2pm @ BoCo History Museum Free admission at the Museum! This month spon- 7:30-9:30pm @ The Back Door Classic rock favorites sored by Elizabeth Wargo and Jason Welker

SunDAY, FEbruary 7

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am

Piano Sunday w/ Annie Welle 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Jazz classics and contemporary tunes Bingo at the Winery • 6pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Free to play with limited seating. Prizes!

monDAY, FEbruary 8

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Outdoor Experience Monday Night Group Run – All levels welcome 6pm @ Outdoor Experience Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s “Toxic Faith: When Religion Hurts”

Dark Love Stout Week (Feb. 8-14) @ 219 Lounge Every day through Feb. 14, the 219 will be pouring new stouts to be enjoyed. Two bourbon barrel-aged stouts will be released every day, with 11 on tap Sat. and Sun. For $15, you’ll take home a mug and two 5-oz. pours

wednesDAY, FEbruary 10

Sip and Shop for Community Cancer Services 4-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery A percentage of all proceeds from 4-8 p.m. will go to support this worthy nonprofit

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STAGE & SCREEN

You got a friend in me

HBO Europe series 30 Coins is a stellar horror-drama with Judas at its center

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Evil is no doubt the predominant preoccupation of humankind — if it wasn’t, we’d have no need for its supposed equal and opposite. There’d be no religion; no laws; no social norms and mores; no conscience; very little, if any, art. That latter notion being particularly true of drama. What’s any story without conflict, and what greater conflict than between good and evil? As the (slightly modified) saying goes, “If the Devil didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent him.”

This is the animus — marshalling both its meanings as animosity and impetus — of the HBO Europe series 30 Coins (30 Monedas), a potent brew of high-stakes theology, small-town politics, outsized personalities and horrifying monsters.

The Spanish-language series deftly mingles the sacred and profane, the mundane and the profound, culminating in a whole that has drawn overwhelmingly positive reviews from the likes of rogerebert.com to the AV Club, all applauding the show’s sweep, aesthetic and superbly balanced

ensemble cast.

Comparisons crop up in these reviews nodding to Twin Peaks, The X-Files and any of a host of telenovellas — especially those including a conflicted priest. To that I would add the subversive ecclesiastical conspiracies of Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons and its subsequent Robert Langdon novels (as well as the films they inspired) but, of course, better.

If that seems like a lot to throw at the wall, it’s because it is.

The show’s basic premise reads like the setup to a bizarre joke: a boxer/exorcist/ex-con priest, a mayor and a veterinarian confront a rising tide of supernatural evil in a backwater town in Spain, where everyone has a secret and the very streets are haunted by the real-life ghosts of history from the Inquisition to the Spanish Civil War. (Lest we forget, Spain was the first and last fascist state of the 20th century, only becoming a democracy in the late 1970s, after the death of Generalissimo Francisco Franco in 1975 — for vintage SNL fans: He’s still dead.)

The first episode could be easily expanded into a feature film. Hell, the title sequence alone is a Goya-esque thumbnail of the crucifixion of Christ — com-

plete with a cameo by the Spear of Longinus — and subsequent suicide of Judas Iscariot, whence comes the show’s titular 30 silver coins.

Right off the bat we know there’s something rotten in the state of rural Spain, as a cow seemingly gives birth to a human baby. The put-upon suave-yetdoofussy mayor and his scheming society wife then have to figure out how to stage-manage this grotesque occurrence, balancing 21st-century concerns about social media virality and local politics with Old World superstition.

Enter the emotionally complicated town vet (and unhappily married mayor’s love interest), whose flabbergasted perspective on these strange events serves as the ground wire for the following narrative. Semi-spoiler: Don’t let your cowbabies grow up to be giant demonic spiders.

Then there’s the village priest — Father Vergara, who sips espresso, smokes cigarettes and whales on his punching bag in the rectory, battling his inner demons while maintaining his physique.

This padre is built like a brick cathedral, sporting an aggressive salt-and-pepper beard and shaved head, barely able to pack his fire-

plug body into his cassock.

It’s immediately clear that Vergara has been around — his flashbacks clueing viewers into a tumultuous past as a globe-trotting exorcist who did time after the kid he was trying to de-demonize died of a heart attack mid-salvation.

However, before the possessed gave up the ghost, a silver coin inexplicably worked its way out of his wrist, falling into Vergara’s possession (so to speak). You guessed it: It was one of the 30 pieces of Augustan silver paid to Judas to betray Jesus.

Vergara has held onto this coin for all the intervening years, and he’s in this little town as a sort of exile. Regardless, since he’s shown up, things have gotten

Courtesy image from 30 Coins. especially weird in the hitherto sleepy ciudad. Someone, or something wants that coin for a fell purpose that raises serious questions about the nature of good and evil.

The three central characters established — the mayor, the vet and the priest — we’re off to the races in a truly stylish, at times darkly funny, frequently really horrifying and delightfully blasphemous romp toward armageddon.

30 Coins checks a staggering number of boxes yet manages never to feel bogged down, never scattered and — rarest of all qualities — consistently creepy. Stream it on HBO Max.

Support the Panida and share the Valentine’s love

By Reader Staff Got a crush on someone? Want a cute way to send them some love?

Show your support for the Panida Theater and spread some love of your own by taking part in the Panida Secret Admirer Valentine Program.

This clever fundraiser aims to give secret admirers a way to show their affections — while also giving some assistance to our community theater during these troubled times.

For just a $10 contribution, the Panida will hand-deliver your anonymous Valentine, sweetened with two pieces of chocolate. The program is open for delivery to addresses anywhere in Sandpoint, Kootenai and Ponderay.

To sign up, go to Panida.org and enter the portal. The $10 you donate will be dedicated to help fund the restoration of the marquee, which is in desperate need of repair. After filling out the giver/recipient form, your handmade Valentine and chocolate gift will be delivered on Saturday, Feb. 13. The last day to order a Valentine is Monday, Feb. 8, so don’t delay. Show some love, Sandpoint.

Workers assess the Panida’s marquee for a future restoration.

Photo by Foster Cline.

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ARTS & CULTURE

KLT presents renowned wildlife photographer for owl event

By Reader Staff Kaniksu Land Trust is proud to welcome award-winning wildlife photographer, author and speaker Paul Bannick for a special virtual event. Bannick will present photos and experiences from his recently released book, Snowy Owl — A Visual Natural History, on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.

Bannick has authored two best-selling bird books and his work has been published in such publications as The New York Times, Audubon, Birds and Blooms, Sunset and others. He has appeared on NBC Nightly News and dozens of NPR stations and programs. His work can be found in the Audubon, Peterson, Smithsonian and National Wildlife Federation bird guides. His photography has also won a host of awards from prestigious national and international photography contests.

“If your average picture is worth a thousand words, a Paul Bannick wildlife photograph is worth 20,000. Having worked with wildlife photographers for articles in Audubon, Smithsonian, Sierra, National Wildlife and other magazines for 45 years, I have

yet to encounter one who better captures the magic and beauty of the natural world,” wrote Ted Williams, award-winning wildlife journalist and former editor of Audubon Magazine.

“I was absolutely blown away by his two recent books — Snowy Owl and Great Gray Owl. No tame, game-farm birds in these spectacular collections or in any of Bannick’s work,” Williams added.

“He immerses himself in the wild and brings his viewers and readers along with him. Little wonder that he is a multiple award winner.”

Bannick is passionate about conservation and serves as director of Major Gifts for Conservation Northwest, an organization dedicated to protecting and connecting wild areas and recovering native species from the Pacific Coast to the Canadian Rockies.

“I strive to capture images that motivate conservation and partner with organizations such as the Kaniksu Land Trust that also prioritize wildlands and wildlife,” Bannick said.

Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online at kaniksulandtrust. org. The presentation takes place via Zoom. The link to access the online event will be provided at the time of purchase. For more

information, contact Kaniksu Land Trust at 208-263-9471 or marcy@

kaniksu.org. See more of Bannick’s work, visit paulbannick.com.

book, My Name is Ramsey: I’m a Clydesdale Stallion, both published in association with Keokee Publishing of Sandpoint.

The Parnell Ranch and Keokee Publishing are hosting a launch event to celebrate The Old Apple Tree, on Saturday, Feb. 13, noon-2 p.m. at the ranch in the Selle Valley where the Parnells raise their champion Clydesdale draft horses.

The event is free, and includes a chance for everyone to see the ranch, meet the magnificent draft horses, enjoy a horse-drawn ride and (in keeping with the new book) a cup of warm apple cider.

Signed copies of The Old Apple

Tree and My Name is Ramsey will be available for purchase, and contributors to both books will be on hand to meet as well.

My Name is Ramsey, released in 2019, struck a chord with readers young and old. It tells of Ramsey’s journey across oceans to become a championship stallion, and his experiences relate a surprising message of faith to young readers that everything happens for a reason and each person is unique and important.

In the new title, The Old Apple Tree, Parnell tells of his dream — or is it? — in which the wise old tree in his meadow begins to talk,

creation.

Both books are colorfully illustrated by Bonnie Shields. Lon Parnell also contributed his art to The Old Apple Tree.

All are invited to the Feb. 13 launch event and signing at the Parnell Ranch, 4250 Selle Road, Sandpoint; phone or text 208-290-3049 or email parnellranch@ The front cover of Jack Parnell’s book, The Old Apple Tree. gmail.com. Copies of both books are available at local reand tells a story of the importance of farmers, the interconnectedness tailers, including the Corner Book Store, Vanderford’s, Bonner Books of the natural world and how we and online at keokeebooks.com. are all a special part of God’s

The Old Apple Tree children’s book launches with event at Parnell Ranch

By Reader Staff What wisdom can an old apple tree offer — or for that matter, a giant Clydesdale stallion?

A lot, as Jack Parnell can attest.

And he’d like to share their wisdom with children everywhere.

The local author — who served as the acting Secretary of Agriculture for President George H.W. Bush and is now operator with wife Michelle of the Parnell Ranch — has just released his second children’s book, The Old Apple Tree and Friends. It’s a follow-up to his first children’s 20 /

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The front cover of Paul Bannick’s book, Snowy Owl – A Visual Natural History.

Photo used with permission.

MUSIC

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

Soft sounds for hard times

Exploring ambient piano albums that soothe the savage beast

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

I’ve been on a mission during the pandemic to listen to music that provides a soothing soundscape to help curb the vitriolic rhetoric that has plagued our world for far too long. As a fledgling piano player, I am naturally drawn to those ivory-tickling compositions that breathe new life into instrumental ambient music that can both serve as a peaceful backdrop, as well as inspire the listener to take their own journeys through the notes.

Here are a few highlights of my search.

Piano Piano — Jeremiah Fraites

Known as the drummer who wears the suspenders and black hat with indie-folk band The Lumineers, Jeremiah Fraites has recently released an ethereal mix of piano songs in his debut solo album Piano Piano.

The name of the album is an Italian expression that means “no hurry,” which is fitting for this melodic album. The 11 tracks are both calming and thought-provoking, embracing a bit of hope and a bit of darkness with a tranquil, calming finish. It’s the perfect album to listen to on a quiet Sunday morning in February.

I met Fraites more than a decade ago when I was running the Downtown Crossing bar in Sandpoint and booked The Lumineers and Head and the Heart just months before both bands were signed to major record labels. Though The Lumineers has skyrocketed to the top of the charts in the years that have passed, Fraites has always maintained a calming, down-to-earth persona that is punctuated by this excellent solo album. Stream it on Spotify, or order it on vinyl. It’s worth the listen.

Sun, Cloud — Luke Howard

Sandpoint’s own Shook Twins recently recommended Luke Howard’s album Sun,

Cloud to me after hearing of my newfound love for ambient piano music. Based in Australia, Howard is a composer that has been described by the BBC as “absolutely heavenly,” and his music, “an ambient masterclass.” Those descriptions are understood when listening to this album, which is an amalgamation of contemporary classical music with a fresh new feel.

Stream it on Spotify.

The Dark Piano, Vol. 1-3 — Myuu

With almost half a billion views on YouTube, pianist Myuu has cultivated a dark piano style that has captivated listeners on projects ranging from Tim Burton films to video game soundtracks and horror communities on YouTube such as Creepypasta, the True Scary Stories and the “Exploring with...” Abandoned Places series. His compositions in The Dark Piano Vol. 1-3 are indeed dark, but are also bright and hopeful in a navel-gazing sort of way. Stream on Spotify or check out his YouTube channel The Dark Piano.

READ

I grew up on Calvin and Hobbes comic strips and books by Bill Watterson, who is a personal hero of mine.

Around Christmas, I bought The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, a beautiful compilation of every strip Watterson drew, plus some extras and inside information that give some great insight into how Watterson fell into this iconic comic strip, and his eventual decision to end it at the top of his game. It’s worth the $100 price tag for this collection if you count yourself a true fan.

LISTEN

There’s a Spotify playlist called “Lo-fi for Ghosts (Only)” that plays a curated collection of chillhop or lo-fi beats that create a perfect backdrop for work days, chill moments at home or stress relief. It’s the kind of playlist that causes you to write down dozens of artists to investigate the rest of their work. This channel is part of a broader sub-genre of “Homework Radio” playlists from YouTube that are intended to provide intellectual stimulation without distraction.

WATCH

I lived in Los Angeles for a few years in my 20s and remember some of my work pals talking about the Night Stalker serial killer, who was active in the 1980s.

Netflix just released a limited series called Night Stalker, which follows the two main detectives who eventually brought this serial killer to justice. If you’re a fan of true crime docu-series, this one is definitely worth adding to your list.

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BACK OF THE BOOK

Follicle chronicles

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

From Northern Idaho News, Feb. 1, 1910

PRIEST LAKE COUNTRY ASSURED OF RAILROAD That the Great Northern Railway company will build a line of railroad from Priest River to Priest Lake along the west branch of Priest River is now practically assured and work will begin on the construction early this spring. The proposed new line will be about 28 miles long and will cost in the neighborhood of $1,000,000. Where it intersects with the lake a boat service will be established to serve the upper part of the lake and the rich section in that locality. The new railroad will be known as the Idaho Central being a subsidiary of the Great Northern company.

This is the first move on teh part of the Hill lines to dispute territory with Blackwell and the Milwaukee for the lumber traffic of the Priest Lake region. That Hill is back of the Idaho Central is denied by some of the officers of teh company, but all admit that a traffic agreement and connection will be made with the Great Northern.

The Panhandle Electric Railway and Power company was the first in this field with a survey for an electric line. Recently the Idaho Central purchased their survey and acquired right of way and now a crew under their direction is making a permanent survey, with some slight changes, to shorten the route and it is announced that work will be started this spring on the active construction.

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Some people keep diaries to remember the various stages of their life. Others dedicate themselves to elaborate photo albums.

My phases are meticulously logged on an index card tucked in a box at A Shear Inspiration Salon & Day Spa in Clark Fork.

A quick call in to salon owner Laura Emmer confirms that my index card — which tracks each time a stylist used a color or chemical treatment on my hair — goes back to April 2010, but she started cutting my hair long before that. It serves as a personal history written in various colors of ink by whichever stylist was making my blonde or redhead or flat-ironed dreams come true.

I visited the salon last week for the first time in more than a year. I was long past due for a haircut, partially because of the pandemic but mostly due to my apathy toward anything related to beauty or, in particular, my messy mop of curls. Logic and past experience tells me that my hair is happier and healthier when occasionally cut to shoulder length, and logic won out last Thursday, when I called A Shear Inspiration on a whim and booked an appointment for the afternoon.

The business, established in 1998 as a single-chair hairdresser located inside Laura’s Clark Fork home, has since grown to host four chairs and various other services such as manicures, waxing and eyelash tinting. The bright and pleasant-smelling space inside A Shear Inspiration has been witness to my many phases, which usually began as a photo from a magazine and ended with me beaming into the salon’s massive mirrors as I assumed a new identity, temporarily pacified in the teenage search for meaning.

There was the time in eighth grade when I decided I wanted highlights, no doubt requested that they be “dramatic” and stepped out of Laura’s chair a platinum blonde

STR8TS Solution

with little to no idea that being blonde does not, by default, make being an awkward 14-year-old girl more fun.

High school arrived in shades of gingery red and mahogany, various lengths and many layers, unable to decide whether I should lean into my natural, fluffy texture or strive for the effortless, shiny, flat locks of my peers. The heat tools and chemical products I tried during those years took a toll, but it wasn’t anything Laura and her team hadn’t seen before.

High school’s finale came as a panicked voicemail left on the salon’s message machine after hours.

“Laura,” I said sheepishly, choking on my tears. “I let my friends dye my hair and now it’s all blotchy. Graduation is in four days. Please help me.”

She got me in under the wire and together we chose a dark red to cover up my poor decision. It was darker than I would have liked, but it beat the hell out of hair that resembled cheetah print.

My hair styles have since gone from trying to copy Pinterest models to making sure I at least avoid complete rat’s nests between washes. I am back to my natural mousy brown color and have given in completely to the unpredictable texture. I asked one of Laura’s stylists, Dawn, to cut my hair to shoulder length with layers on Thursday, and she did a great job. This is a fairly mild chapter in my hair history, but it’s just right for now.

While Dawn washed and combed and cut my hair, I watched out of the corner of my eye as Laura finished a complex pixie-cuttype style on the woman in the chair beside me. Laura would cut a little, put down her scissors and ask the woman to reach up and feel with her hands. The woman would then give Laura some guidance. The two did this dance until the woman got up from her chair, her face glowing with delight in the mirror.

“Laura, you are a genius,” she said.

Laura quipped about how it helps to

Left: Lyndsie Kiebert during her “blonde phase” of 2010. Right: Current day. Courtesy photos. have 45 years of experience, discreetly flattered but characteristically even-keeled.

Everyone in the salon could feel the joy radiating off the woman she’d just helped, reaffirming that there is a reason we turn to hair stylists when we need a reset.

Visits to the salon lift the weight from our shoulders in more ways than one. I have yet to find a problem that a haircut can’t fix, at least for the time it takes to drive home, running my fingers through my newly short hair and contemplating how good it might look just two shades darker than fire-engine red.

Crossword Solution

Sudoku Solution If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid looking in a mirror, because I bet that will really throw you into a panic.

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

grouse

Woorf tdhe Week

By Bill Borders

/grous/ [verb (used without object)] 1. to grumble; complain.

“There goes that Reader publisher, grousing about nonsense again.”

Corrections: Nothing to report this week, friends. There’s always next week. – BO

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Aches 6. Custard dessert 10. Affirm 14. Labor group 15. Dash 16. A Maori club 17. Gnatlike insect 18. River of Spain 19. Iridescent gem 20. Ownership 22. A hollow cylindrical shape 23. Rehabilitation 24. Not younger 25. Cook 29. Get worse 31. Proof of purchase 33. A baroque musical composition 37. Colonnade 38. Supporter 39. Make believe 41. Pinna 42. Hostile 44. Masticate 45. Married partners 48. Not domesticated 50. Arab chieftain 51. Written material 56. Arm or leg 57. Countertenor 58. Notes 59. Curved molding 60. Peddle

Solution on page 22 61. Jazz style 62. An aromatic ointment 63. Tall woody plant 64. The air in some bars

7. Relating to the lips 8. Circus performer 9. A noble gas 10. Extremely angry 11. Insipid 12. French for “Storehouse” 13. King DOWN 21. Snake 24. Academy award 1. Something that 25. Poop bulges out 2. Pearly-shelled mussel 26. German for “Mister” 27. Behold, in old Rome 3. Purges 28. Mollycoddle 4. Clothing 5. Contemptuous look 30. Fashionable 32. Anagram of “Aside” 6. Occurrence of a 34. Eyebrow shape water flow

35. Lacquered metalware 36. Once more 40. Polluter 41. Halo 43. A state of fitness 45. Cantaloupe for example 46. Girlfriend (Spanish) 47. Anagram of “Merit” 49. Young sheep 51. Not first 52. Swarm 53. Part of an ear 54. A chess piece 55. Catch a glimpse of

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...

A SINGLE BNSF TRAIN CAN MOVE AS MUCH FREIGHT AS280 LONG-HAUL TRUCKS

4a

BNSF Railway is committed to working with our customers and communities as we continually reduce our environmental impact and improve our operations.

Over the last several years, we've upgraded the majority of our locomotives with more energy-ef ficient technologies that increase our fuel efficiency and decrease CO2 and particulate emissions.

As a result, in 2019, our customers reduced their total carbon emissions by 32.8 million metric tons by shipping with us.

And we're not done yet. We continue to invest in new technologies, implement new practices, and upgrade infrastructure across our entire network.

BETWEEN 2008AND 2017, BNSF CUT PARTICULATE EMISSIONS BY 45%

OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, THE MAJORITY OF THE BNSF FLEET HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH

ENERGY-EFFICIENT LOCOMOTIVES

REDUCING DIESEL PARTICULATE EMISSIONS PARTICULATE MATTER EMISSIONS (GRAM/1000 RTM) BY YEAR

10.8

10.5

Learn more about the environmental benefits of freight rail at BNSFNorthwest.com.

RA/�WAY

Connecting the Pacific Northwest since 1873

7.0

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

7.0

2017

6.6

2018

6.1

2019

IN 2019, SHIPPING WITH BNSF HELPED OUR CUSTOMERS TO REDUCE THEIR OVERALL CARBON EMISSIONS BY

•

32.8

MILLION

METRIC TONS

-

ONE TRAIN CAN MOVE ONE TON OF FREIGHT 500 MILES ON

1 GALLON OF FUEL