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(wo)MAN

Susan Drinkard on the street compiled by

“Are you supporting a particular candidate for the GOP primary?

“I voted for Cruz.”

Amanda Smith Mom Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

There’s a company from out of town that is putting out a thing called the “Sandpoint Information Booklet” and has been hitting up local businesses to shell out money to advertise. They claim the booklet will be a vital information source for locals, when really, it’s just a scheme to fleece businesses for completely ineffective marketing. The company is based in Iowa and couldn’t care less if your business succeeds or not. They simply want your money.

If you want to advertise, folks, choose a publication that is based in your town, not a throw-away brochure that will be ignored by 99 percent of people that see it.

The fact of the matter is, the Reader operates 100 percent off the advertising revenue we bring in. These out of town companies don’t live here, shop here or care about the community in which they want to appear. The cheapest ad they offer is $350, and they only claim to be printing 5,000 of these booklets, which they’ll then dump all over town and disappear again. If you really want to reach people, the Reader prints 3,900 copies every week, and you can advertise with us for as little as $60.

Choose wisely, business owners. Don’t give money to out of town scammers.

-Ben Olson, Publisher

“John Kasich. I know what he did before, and I like him.”

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

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Contributing Artists: Erik Keller (cover), Ben Olson Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Nick Gier, Jen Jackson Quintano, Brenden Bobby, Drake.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com

Barry Hook Retired Sandpoint

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Subscription Price: $95 per year Advertising: Dion Nizzi dion@sandpointreader.com Clint Nicholson clint@keokee.com

“I am supporting Ted Cruz because I believe he is the one who will do the best for this country.”

Web Content: Keokee

Emily Collins Stay-at-home mom Sandpoint

“In the national (race) I supported Ted Cruz and Ben Carson because I believe both are honest men, but I ended up voting for Ted Cruz.”

Earl Mills Retired millwright Sandpoint “I voted for John Kasich. I liked him years ago when he ran for President. He has more dignity than the other candidates, and he is not going to embarrass the country on foreign policy. I believe he will get things done.”

Marlene Harting Retired system analyst Sagle “The presidential contest is tough for me. I liked Rand Paul for his consistency, an important attribute of a candidate’s character. I also agreed with many of his stances.

Now I am more of a Cruz guy; however, I have concerns. I am very disappointed in the GOP. The fact that Trump is doing so well explains my disappointment.”

Joel Aispuro Manager, Joel’s Sandpoint

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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 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

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

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 features a photograph taken by Erik Keller called “Time and Shadow.” Erik’s artwork is currently hanging at Studio 524 at Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters.

Erik will be having an art exhibit on Saturday, March 19 from 4 to 7 p.m.

Go on down and check it out!

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COMMENTARY America’s largest slave rebellion and the mutilation of Louisiana cane cutters

By Nick Gier Reader Columnist “If heads on poles were symbols of control, they were also symbols of the ritual violence that was the constant underlying element of Louisiana society.”

—Daniel Rasmussen, “American Uprising: The Untold Story of America’s Largest Slave Revolt.”

This column is a little late for Black History Month, but it still has an important story to tell. We often forget that a very large number of American immigrants did not choose to come to this country and they were never paid for their work.

In 1810 nearly one third of the population of the southern states (1.1 million) was African slaves. By 1860 their portion had increased to one half as their numbers rose to 3.2 million.

As historian Daniel Rasmussen states: “Slavery built New Orleans, slavery built the south, slavery built much of the economic wealth that today we see in America.” By 1820 New Orleans had become the largest slave market in America and it played a pivotal role in tripling the number of slaves in

Support Bernie...

Dear Editor, I support Bernie Sanders for the democratic nomination because of his compassion, truthtelling and commitment. He tells the truth about the corruption and greed that runs our political system. He shows compassion to minorities, the poor, elderly and veterans by demanding that the rich pay their fair share of taxes so that we can support the most vulnerable. He is committed to changing the laws that allow the wealthy to buy elections.

Bernie will use a tax (a fraction of 1 percent) on the sale of stocks to fund free tuition at state colleges. His plan would allow students with debt to refinance to rates as low as 2.37 percent.

He lists climate change as the number one threat facing this country and is committed to training

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the Southern States. Rasmussen reminds us that cotton was America’s largest export even in the 1930s.

The sugar plantations of Louisiana were veritable death camps for African workers, who made up 75 percent of the population. The average life span of a cane cutter was seven years. Unlike slaves elsewhere in the South, overworked sugar workers did not reproduce well enough to replace themselves, so the owners simply bought more and more slaves.

Writing about the Cuban plantations in his book “Sugar is Made with Blood,” historian Robert Paquette states that “it was cheaper to work field slaves to death in five years and replace them by purchase than to see to their long-term maintenance and reproduction.”

Historian Roderick McDonald reports that in Jamaica the sugar cultivators “died faster than they bore progeny.”

Most of us take the meaning of “sold south” or “sold down the river” as slaves being auctioned off to just about any Southern farmer. What it actually meant was being sent to the sugar plantations of Louisiana. As Rasmussen states: “Nowhere in America workers from the fossil fuel industry to install and maintain solar, wind and other clean energy sources.

Bernie wants a Medicare for all types of health care plans, so instead of high premiums and deductibles the average person will pay $466 per year for full medical coverage including dental and vision with no copays and no deductibles. If you hear Fox News saying Bernie’s plans will mean that we will be taxed 90 percent, just know that this is propaganda.

Do your own research and find out more about this amazing senator who has been working for the people for 34 years. Vote for Bernie on March 22 at 5 p.m. at the county fairgrounds and join us as we all Feel the Bern.

Linda F. Larson Sandpoint

was slavery as exploitative or were profits as high. Slaves worked longer hours and faced more brutal punishments than any other slave society in North America.”

Given their brutal conditions it is no wonder that the African cane cutters around New Orleans rose up on January 8, 1811. The rebels had planned well: their masters would be hung over from their all-night Carnival parties; the American army was in Baton Rouge fighting the Spaniards; and recent heavy rain and knee-deep mud would prevent the movement of artillery.

Louisiana was not yet a state, and French and Spanish culture dominated the scene.

A French activist had been arrested for speaking out about human equality, and documents from the French Revolution were found among the rebels’ possessions. As Rasmussen explains: “These slaves were politically aware. They were sophisticated and they knew what they were doing.”

Upwards of 500 Africans, armed with cane knives and muskets captured from plantation armories, marched on New Orleans, then defended by only 68 troops. Had it not been

For the children...

Dear Editor, If you have ever volunteered in an elementary school or worked in a classroom you might be impressed with the responsibility on teachers these days. If you have not spent time in a classroom and you have elementary age kids and feel teachers are not doing enough then please get into your kid’s class and observe; even for one hour. You will likely come away exhausted just watching your kid’s teacher and all that they do.

With more and more kids being raised by violent video games while parents attend to their Facebook pages or play their own video games it makes sense that attention spans,

for the lucky escape of planter Manuel Andry, the black rebels may well have succeeded.

Andry’s farm was the first one attacked and he managed to flee across the Mississippi and was able raise a force of wellarmed plantation owners. They attacked the rebels from the rear and routed them, leaving 40-60 dead on the field and suffering no casualties. In the end only two whites were killed, one of them Andry’s son.

A vicious campaign of retaliation then began. The rebel leader was hunted down in the swamps, and they, as Rasmussen describes it, “shot him in both thighs, chopped off his limbs, and then burned him alive.” About 100 rebel corpses were then decapitated and their heads were displayed on poles all along the River Road northwest of New Orleans.

At the time many said that the Africans had it coming, and that even white on white violence was common for frontier society. However, 21 American newspapers reprinted an editorial in the Louisiana Courier condemning the beheadings as excessive and barbaric: “Civilized man ought to remember well his standing, and never let himself sink down to the level playground play and classroom conduct are all in decline. I work in a local elementary school and see defensive reactions by many parents when they get called about the poor decisions their children are making.

One local kid who had almost no parental supervision recently made a weapon and stabbed a classmate in class at a local elementary school. There is a large sign on the outside of the school which says -No weapons or drugs and that the use of either will not be tolerated in school.

The child was expelled and I fully support the principal for following through on the pledge of no tolerance for violence.

Unfortunately and all too common these days, the seldom seen parents are teaching their

of sav-

age.”

American officials, Louisiana planters, and their descendants made sure that most of us would not know anything about the largest slave uprising in American history.

We have Daniel Rasmussen to thank for uncovering one of the most violent events in our dark, racial history.

Nick Gier of Moscow taught philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years. Read all of his columns on civil rights at www.NickGier.com/CivilRights.htm. Click on PDF files. child to take no responsibility as they have decided to sue the school for expelling their child.

Never mind that the parents of the stabbed child could press charges on the attacker but have chosen not to. They know the behavior transcends the child.

If you choose to spend most of your free time on a computer or go out late to bars while your kids raise themselves, researching how to make weapons or exploring porn… Then that’s on you as a parent ; not teachers, not cops, not your neighbors.

That’s on you.

Justin Henney Sandpoint

PERSPECTIVES

Being and belonging in the West

By Jen Jackson Quintano Reader Contributor It was a calculated kind of romance.

From day one, I knew what I wanted and I sought out my ends with a single-minded conviction. I studied my quarry’s history, moods, scars and wonders. I learned the proper dialect, integrated the prevailing perspective, forsook my five-generation-deep roots elsewhere for new ones.

I tried to earn belonging.

As if it were an honor to be conferred. As if a High Priest of Place would eventually lay hands on me, anointing me as being Of the Desert Southwest.

As if I could sacrifice enough of my past to generate a whole new present.

In my attempts to belong to southern Utah, I even dated a local whose great-grandfather’s name adorned several landscape features. I desired him for all he represented to me, unwilling to embrace who he actually was.

Ultimately, I wanted that place to love me back.

The landscape remained indifferent to my ingratiation.

Being and belonging in the West are not synonymous concepts. There are a million ways and places to be here. Logger, lawyer, rancher or teacher. Desert, mountain, forest or plain.

All are valid. But belonging is a trickier matter.

Many small towns in the West place a high value on being local, with “local” implying “belonging.” The more generations one’s family has rooted in place, the more valid one’s claim is to home ground. (Bonus points if your family name holds space on a street map.) When I moved to southern Utah, my landlord warned me, “I’ve been here for 50 years, and I’m still not considered a local.”

The West is a place in flux,

with much threatening its sense of identity and history. Towns like Aspen and Sun Valley are virtually unrecognizable from their incarnations of 50 years ago. The same is true for onetime mainstay industries like logging and ranching. Now, one is more likely to see forestry and farm implements as yard art than in actual use.

While living in the Old West wasn’t easy, there was a certain romance and ruggedness about it. Isolation was both the price of life and its reward.

The New West proffers different challenges, like how to afford a home with prices inflated by second-homeowners, while subsisting on a service industry income. Natural beauty is the new hot commodity, the latest gold rush, bringing waves of visitors and newcomers. But natural beauty doesn’t pay well.

Facing these changes and challenges, it’s instinctive to circle the wagons and say, “I knew and loved this place before all of you got here and ruined it.” It’s natural to identify territory and tribe in the midst of instability. It’s why Coloradoans hate Texans. It’s why Oregonians dislike Californians. (A 1990s-era Oregon Lottery billboard proclaimed “Luck happens,” with a picture of California having fallen off the map into the ocean.) It’s why there’s a bumper sticker that defensively proclaims, “I wasn’t born here, but I got here as fast as I could.”

I was raised as a local, a member of the insider tribe.

I’m the fifth generation of my family to call Medford, Ore., home. My grandmother and I grew up on the same street and attended the same school.

Knowledge of the history of downtown buildings, of the movement of elk on and off Roxy Ann Peak, of the iconic pear orchards, and of periodic

The author and her husband, Tyler, working in the woods together. flooding of Bear and Lithia Creeks…these were the gifts my family had to confer to me.

And I rejected them. Though I belonged to the Rogue Valley in a deep historical sense, I never had a concomitant feeling of personal intimacy with the place. From my perspective, I belonged there no more than the dreaded Californians who drove up property values.

Upon moving to Utah – a place whose accidents of geology resonated with the vagaries of my twenty-something being – I finally and profoundly connected with landscape. It was a homecoming. And I was a complete outsider. I envied the Allreds and Johnsons and Pollocks who took their rootedness for granted. It’s why I dated one of them. I tried to assimilate roots. I failed.

Like it or not, my roots remain in Medford. Rejecting that history does not change the present. Though Oregon is not home, those roots inform

all that I am, including the part of me that fell in love with the desert. Including the part of me slowly embracing the wonders of North Idaho. I once belonged, and I still do.

After a decade in the desert, I moved to Sandpoint with my husband. There was little romance in our reason for moving here; namely, we could afford it. Secondarily, it was a good place to establish our business, and it provided the wild wide-openness we crave.

We’ve been here over three years, and I’ve not striven to learn local history. I have not walked from here to the horizon lines. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t yet voted in Bonner County.

I don’t know the secrets that only time confers: huckleberry stashes, secluded swim spots, feral fruit trees, elk habitat.

Instead, items of interest slowly trickle into my awareness. I hold them lightly, not grasping, not manipulating knowledge to assuage my need to belong.

The West has always been a place of territorialism, of perceived insiders and outsiders. An extreme manifestation of this was the recent standoff at an Oregon wildlife refuge.

One can also find it in the Letters to the Editor section of every small town paper: newer arrivals offering suggestions to make their adopted home better, old-timers decrying the loss of the place and values they once knew.

The best I can do is embrace my new community and my transplantedness. I can be sensitive to all that came before me here and assert my right to be a part of the ever-unfolding history of this place. Being confers legitimacy. Being is belonging. I understand that now (though the Oregonian in me still likes the idea of oceanbound California).

This time, in this place, I’m not storming the gates of belonging. I’m simply living here.

And that is enough.

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NEWS

County commissioners pass appeals amendments

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Commissioners signed off on controversial changes to Bonner County Planning Department appeals Wednesday despite strong resistance.

Dozens of county residents attended the meeting to oppose the change, which eliminates a two-step process in favor of direct consideration by the Bonner County Board of Commissioners. While county officials say the changes will make appeals more efficient, critics are concerned it will lead to less rigorous and consistent land use decision-making.

“I think there are misconceptions about we’re doing, about what our intentions are,” Commissioner Glen Bailey said. “I don’t intend to pollute or try to ruin this place we live in. I do not believe the proposed changes will cause that.”

Under the previous procedure, a review determined whether the Planning Commission made errors in its

judgment. An appellant also had to pay a fee and ensure his case met one of five specific requirements to receive a public hearing from commissioners.

The new procedure removes those requirements. It sends all appeals directly to commissioners for a de novo hearing, which means commissioners begin deliberations anew. At the Wednesday meeting, commissioners noted de novo hearings didn’t mean they wouldn’t consider testimony from previous Planning Commission meetings, a frequently cited concern. But opponents pointed out they weren’t required to by law, either.

Opponents also worried about the possible impact of bad planning decisions on the environment. They questioned the timing of the meeting, which was scheduled by the commissioners without the usual recommendation from the Planning Commission. They wondered whether commissioners would be flooded with appeals by re-

Commissioner Todd Sudick.

moving all standards. And they questioned what they saw as a reduction of the Planning Commission’s authority, especially since there had been no public outcry over their decisions.

“I don’t recall that this perceived need to streamline the zoning process was an election issue in any recent election,” said local resident Paul Vogel.

Commissioners said they were just as passionate about protecting the environment as their critics. They said streamlining the appeals process had been in the works for years.

And if the the burden of managing appeals proved too great,

Grimm files tort claim against Bonner County

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Former Sandpoint planning director Jeremy Grimm is seeking $100,000 in damages from Bonner County following a dispute over land use decisions.

Dated Feb. 29, Grimm’s tort claim alleges damages caused by county commissioners and legal department employees.

According to the tort claim, commissioners contacted Grimm’s employers at Kochava to accuse him of unprofessionalism, which resulted in Grimm’s work responsibilities being reduced. Grimm’s attorney argues he reasonably stated his opinions as a private citizen, not a company representative.

Grimm seeks restitution for defamation by libel, intentional interference with business 6 /

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relations, damage to reputation, lost profits, lost wages, attorney’s fees and costs.

The conflict stems from comments Grimm made at a public hearing about the expansion of Alpine Cedar sawmill.

Business owners and employees said the expansion was necessary to stay in business, while Grimm and other nearby homeowners said operations damaged property values and quality of life. They also claimed the mill was violating its conditional use permit.

The tort claim states that in subsequent emails with Bonner County deputy prosecuting attorney Scott Bauer, Grimm criticized commissioners’ handling of the issue. These emails were forwarded to commissioners, who in turn sent them to Grimm’s employers.

Commissioner Cary Kelly.

they said they could revise the process again.

“Ultimately, whether we keep the current ordinance as it stands or change it, the buck stops with the commissioners,” said Commissioner Todd Sudick.

The public hearing was shaded by several months of upheaval in the Bonner County Planning Department. Commissioners fired department leaders Dan Carlson and Clare Marley, relaxed regulations on building permits and introduced the new appeals process for Planning Commission review. When planning commissioners remand-

Commissioner Glen Bailey.

ed the proposal back to staff, county commissioners scheduled their own public hearing. The disagreement resulted in accusations of illegality on both sides, and Planning Commission Chairman Steve Temple resigned in protest. “...The havoc you’ve wreaked in the planning department and code changes you intend to make lead me to conclude the P&Z Commission is unnecessary,” Temple wrote in his resignation letter. “I no longer wish to volunteer my time and energy to an organization that doesn’t want them and I no longer respect.”

Idaho votes Cruz in GOP primary Bonner County Republicans joined with the rest of Idaho on Tuesday’s primary election in preferring Ted Cruz over Donald Trump.

Cruz took the lion’s share of county support at 3,132 votes, followed by Trump at 2,410 votes. John Kasich, perhaps buoyed by an endorsement from Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter,

took third with 587 votes, and Mark Rubio trailed just behind at 509 votes. The only other candidate who cracked triple digits was Ben Carson at 107 votes.

That largely aligns with statewide totals, which saw Cruz receive 100,928 votes against Trump’s 62,466 votes.

[CR]

Grant deadlines approaching Jeremy Grimm.

“Commissioner [Todd Sudick] told [Grimm’s] employer that [he] attended public meetings wearing a jacket adorned with the employer’s logo,” the tort claim states. “Commissioner Sudick also stated that [his] demeanor and manner of speech at the meetings poorly represented [his] employer.”

Community Assistance League and Angels Over Sandpoint are nearing their deadline for scholarship and grant applications.

Angels Over Sandpoint is seeking applicants for several programs. The Community Service Scholarship, the Lippi Family Scholarship and Arts Scholarship all have a deadline of 9 a.m. April 10. Meanwhile, charitable organizations must apply for the Community Grants Program by March 15.

For applications and more information, visit angelsoversandpoint.com.

CAL is also offering scholarships to high school or home schooled seniors or adults who have been out of high school for at least a year. Applications are available for download from the CAL website at www. calsandpoint.org or at North Idaho College, Bizarre Bazaar or Sandpoint and Clark Fork libraries. The deadline for application is April 11. [CR]

FEATURE

Suffer the Little Children:

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Sixteen-month-old Matthew was sick again, and his mother, Rita Swan, was worried.

The infant had come down with a dangerous fever three times, and three times, Swan had called her family’s Christian Science practitioner as mandated by the religion. Three times, Matthew had recovered from his illness.

But this, the fourth incident, was worse than any of the others. For the Swans, then a devout Christian Science family living in Detroit, Mich., in 1977, it was enough to consider breaking with church doctrine and taking Matthew to a hospital.

The Swans’ practitioner was not pleased when she heard the news. “It will be a long, hard road back to Christian Science for you if you do this,” she said.

Swan hesitated. Matthew had, after all, recovered three times already.

The teachings of Christian Science, which claim that disease is an illusion best treated by prayer, appeared to be working. But this time, Matthew was only getting worse.

“I don’t think I’m willing to go into too many of the gory details,” Swan said. “It was just really, really bad.”

The Swans’ practitioner insisted the disease was a sin problem. Because Matthew was too young to be held accountable for his actions, the blame lay with his parents. There must be some grievance they harbored that explained the illness, the practitioner insisted.

“She made me write a letter to my father because of a quarrel I had with him years ago,” Swan said.

Finally, the practitioner relented. She said Matthew likely

had a broken bone, which are an exception in Christian Science doctrine. At the hospital, doctors concluded he suffered from spinal meningitis and needed emergency brain surgery. Surgery: Now that was a bridge too far for the Swans’ practitioner. Incensed, she told them she would stop praying for Matthew if they went through with the operation. But the Swans had made up their minds.

Following the operation, Matthew was put on a respirator.

Swan desperately searched for a Christian Scientist, any Christian Scientist, who would pray for his recovery, but she found no one. Finally, the trauma proved too much for the Swans’ tiny son. Matthew died a week after surgery.

Almost 40 years later, children are still dying from their parents’ decision to withhold medical care. Some of these adults are opposed to vaccinations and other preventative treatments urged by medical scientists.

But others still oppose medical care on religious grounds, an uncomfortable gray area that pits a child’s well-being against the free practice of religion.

While many lawmakers struggle with that ambiguity, the answer couldn’t be clearer to Swan. She now heads up Children’s Healthcare Is a Legal Duty, or CHILD. The Lexington, Ky.-based nonprofit works to end religion-based child neglect across the country. In recent years, members’ work has focused specifically on Idaho.

On CHILD’s Idaho website, idahochildren.org, organization officials don’t mince words: “Idaho is the worst

“Idaho is the worst state in the nation for letting children die with faithbased medical neglect.”

-www.idahochildren.org

state in the nation for letting children die with faith-based medical neglect.”

Idaho is one of a handful of states that allows a complete religious exemption from the obligation to provide a child medical care, even if it results in death. The laws effectively create a religious defense against manslaughter because “criminal injury to a child” cannot be charged in religion-based medical neglect, Swan said.

The Idaho Legislature passed its religious exemption laws in a no-fuss 1972 session. The bill was one of several enacted across the nation in quick succession thanks to pressure from Washington, D.C. It stemmed from two powerful Christian Scientist aides within the Nixon Administration, H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman, who pushed religious exemptions into the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. In his book “Bad Faith: When Religious Belief Undermines Modern Medicine,” Dr. Paul Offit details the fallout from their actions: “Now, if state officials didn’t abide by Haldeman and Ehrlichman’s mandate, they couldn’t receive money from [CAPTA programs]; within a few years, 49 states (the exception being Nebraska) and the District of Columbia had laws protecting religiously motivated medical neglect.”

According to Swan, Idaho earns its dubious distinction as the worst state for religion-based neglect through a combination of lenient laws and unique religious makeup. Of particular note is Followers of Christ, a brand of Pentecostal

Kids are dying because of faith healing exemptions in Idaho law, so why aren’t lawmakers doing something about it?

Catherine (right) and Matthew (left), the children of Rita and Doug Swan. Matthew passed away after emergency brain surgery. Courtesy photo.

Christianity that emphasizes a literal interpretation of scripture and the power of faith healing. The Followers resided primarily in Oregon, but factions have sprung up in Idaho over the past 100 years. Swan believes Oregon’s elimination of faith healing exemptions in 2011 increased migration.

It’s difficult to track child mortality among Followers of Christ because deaths often go unreported, with bodies buried on private property, Swan said. However, CHILD maintains a database of more than 200 child graves in Followers of Christ cemeteries. In the largest, Peaceful Valley Cemetery, 204 of the 592 graves belong to minor children. Thirty-five percent of the graves between 2002 and 2013 are of minor children or stillbirths. That’s more than 10 times the number of deaths among minor children and stillbirths statewide.

The first mention of Followers of Christ in Idaho records is a 1900 Idaho Statesman article referencing members’ use of poisonous snakes in religious practices. Several other news articles in the early 1900s describe their propensity for snake handling. At least two articles, dating to 1915 and 1917, detail child deaths from medical neglect.

Linda Martin doesn’t remember witnessing any snake handling growing up in Boise as a Follower of Christ member, although it

See HEALERS, page 13

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Mad about Science: Bouquets: • With the monthly potlucks coming to a close this season I want to thank the Sandpoint Vegetarians for the wonderful opportunity to be a part of a community of people seeking education about eating healthier and more compassionately.

I have really enjoyed the potlucks. Thanks for all you have done to educate our community.

-Submitted by Cynthia Mason.

•Sandpoint is a pretty cool place to be if you’re a dog. I’m always so happily surprised how many businesses there are in Sandpoint that feature a dog-friendly atmosphere. Last week I was in Evans Brothers (to name just one of the many) and counted nine dogs. They almost outnumbered people. And, what’s more, they were all very well-behaved. Way to support your local pet owners, Sandpoint businesses!

Barbs: •I’m disappointed that the city of Sandpoint government elected to hire a company from California to rebuild their new website when we have so many local website builders that could have done the work.

City planner Aaron Qualls said that since the California-based company Vision Internet already had architecture setup for government functions, it was likely cheaper than a custom job from a local company. I’m wondering how Qualls knows this when the city of Sandpoint never even gave these locals a chance to bid on the job. Besides, it’s a website, not rocket science. Seems like we’re all pulling for buying local and supporting local businesses these days, and when our own city government outsources almost $24,000 worth of work that could have easily been done locally, it’s a slap in the face. Let’s do better next time, Sandpoint city government.

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By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist It’s me again, hoping to discuss a subject near and dear to my heart. Today, we’re touching base on a pretty awesome science— the science of space travel, both from the viewpoints of science and science fiction. We’ll start with a popular subject from both literature and television: fasterthan-light travel. It’s not quite as simple as going, “Bam, I’m there!”

Or is it?

There is a paradoxical problem when traveling at, or faster than the speed of light. As far as we know, everything has a maximum speed limit, which, as we know, is the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). This includes the expansion of spacetime. Therefore, it can be theorized that, if you’re in a vessel traveling the speed of light, you’re traveling faster than time. You would, in theory, arrive at your destination before you left.

But how? You wouldn’t have left yet, but you already would have arrived? Would that mean there are two of you? Is your consciousness split? How would that work?

This is known as a paradox, and has been covered extensively in most forms of science fiction literature and television.

The zaniness of time doesn’t stop there, however. Due to the theory of relativity, a person in a vessel going nearly the speed of light in a vacuum (space, not your floor cleaner at home), would experience time differently than someone on Earth. This is called time dilation, and it’s another science fiction favorite. The closer to the speed of light you travel, the greater the difference in the passage of time between the interior of the vessel and the exterior.

A person inside a ship traveling just a few miles per second shy of the speed of light would perceive a 400-year trip across the galaxy as near-instantaneous, while their family at home would have been dead for centuries by the time they step out of their ship and onto fertile new soils.

It sounds like crazy science fiction that could never be real, but time dilation is a proven thing, even here on Earth. Did you know that time moves slightly more

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Space Travel quickly at the peak of Mount Everest than it does in Seattle? This has to deal with the gravitational forces of the Earth being more concentrated and warping time closer to its surface than places further away. Don’t go planning an immortality trip to Everest any time soon, though. The difference is only a fraction of a fraction of a second, detectable only by some pretty impressive synchronized clocks (like ones NASA uses on Earth and in the International Space Station). The weirdness of Time Dilation is even stranger when you throw the physics of black holes into the mix. In theory, if you were to fall into a black hole, at one point, you would observe everything horrible happening to you in the gravity well over the course of an eternity—a literal eternity, not an eternity while waiting in line at airport security.

I digress! This post wasn’t about how time is weird and confusing; it was about space travel, fast space travel! Why aren’t we able to do it right now? I want to visit my cousin on Mars in the next 45 minutes!

There are a few problems here.

It takes an incredible amount of time and energy to propel an object with mass to those speeds, and equal amounts of time and energy to try and slow it down. On top of that, we have to figure out how to do it safely. I don’t know about you, but hurdling through the vacuum of space at mind-bending speeds with nothing but an oxygen tank and your underpants doesn’t sound like an ideal vacation. So we’re presented with the problem of propelling ourselves, enough food, enough recyclable water and enough Netflix to get us to where we’re going without dying or losing our minds. That’s a lot of weight, and as any traveler knows, every ounce counts when you’re flying on a budget.

Sounds hopeless, right? Not quite! There is hope in sight!

The largest hurdle of space travel is most definitely getting off the Earth and into space; this is because of the gravitational pull of Earth working against us, trying

to pull objects back down.

Essentially, the further you go, the progressively lighter objects become, and the easier they are to move to an extent. Getting them from sea level to low Earth orbit is where we burn the most fuel and spend the most energy. After reaching a certain threshold, you can start using the Earth’s gravity to greatly alter your course with relatively little energy.

This goes quite a bit deeper, and I will do my best to sum this up without droning like your high school math teacher from the ‘70s.

During orbit, you have two points of interest: The time when you are at the absolute furthest from the planet before being pulled back, which is the apoapsis, and conversely, the time when you are at the absolute nearest to Earth before slinging back away, which is called the periapsis.

Think of moving towards the apoapsis as climbing a big hill in your car. Stepping on the gas while going uphill isn’t going to dramatically increase your speed.

Once you hit that peak and start driving downhill, however, you notice that stomping the pedal makes you go REALLY fast, maybe even REALLY fast right through a hot dog stand!

Orbital maneuvers are a lot like going up and down hills. If you can plan a sharp usage of energy at the right time, for a certain amount of time, your acceleration growth will grow exponentially and dramatically alter your orbit.

The man, the myth, the equation.

This is called an orbital maneuver, and is achieved through something called a burn.

Using the right burn techniques can help us go fast enough to break orbit entirely and enter new spheres of influence. In the case of leaving Earth’s orbit, this usually means entering the sun’s orbit. The numbers grow quite a bit at this point, and provided you have enough fuel, you can make even more dramatic burn maneuvers and use your new position to intersect other planets in the solar system. If you’re trying to leave the solar system entirely, you’re more than likely going to need to use the gravity of our big neighbor, Jupiter, just like Voyager did in 2012 (it launched in 1977).

Achieving speeds to leave an orbit is called escape velocity.

Next time, we’re going to talk about the cool spacecraft we’re currently using, and have theorized using in the future for various endeavors in outer space.

The next time you’re at a party, try dropping what you learned here about time dilation, burns and escape velocity. If someone throws shade your way, just smirk and tell them: “What? It’s just rocket science.”

To the moon! Image courtesy of NASA.

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Live Music w/ Umphrey’s McGee 9pm @ The Hive Umphrey’s McGee is one of the hottest bands on the planet, super-serving their fans with a dynamic blend of original music and rock favorites. Tickets are $30 in advance, and $35 on the day of the show. VIP tickets also available

“45 Years” film 7:30pm @ Panida Theater Nominated for an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress, Charlotte Rampling Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

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Throwback 8pm @ 219 Featuring liv Chris Lynch Join in play night setting

Contra Da 7-10pm @ Contra dan the New En local and re able clothin and a water much appre Tradition 5:30pm @ Appetizer Democrat Pizza & Politics later. All a 11:30am-1:30pm @ Spt. Community Hall beans, so Senator Dan Schmidt, and John Rusche chicken, b and Mat Erperling, Minority Leader and $30 each o Assistant Minority Leader in the Idaho House of Representatives, will discuss the “45 Years” 2026 legislative session and answer ques- 7:30pm @ P Nominated tions from the public. 265-7251 Best Perfor Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA tress, Charlo 3-6pm @ Taps on Schweitzer Live Music w Sandpoint indie rock band holds their last 5-8pm @ Pen performance on Schweitzer this season Blues pop wi

Live Music w/ Marty Perron & Doug Bond Live Music w/ Justin Lantrip 5:30-7:30pm @ Idaho Pour Authority 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Sandpoint local singer / songwriter Mandolin and guitar duo and new dad! Congrats Justin Cornhole Classic Tournament Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 1pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall 6pm - 9pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante Three regulation courts are set up for your tosLive Music w/ Ken Mayginnes sin’ abilities in a double-elimination tourna7pm @ La Rosa Club ment. Register at noon, first toss at 1 p.m.

DJ Night @ the Niner 8pm @ 219 Lounge Reader Reels: “Anomalisa” 10pm @ Panida Theater Come experience the new, weird world of cinema. Written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, rated-R and strange as can be Live Music w/ Truck Mills 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Great blues from a lap steel man Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 6pm - 9pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am. All are welcome Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Trivia Night 7pm - 9pm @ MickDuff’s Art on the Go with Jules 4-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Join Julie Ellis for a few fun hours creation art from recycled materials Winter Reading Party and Drawing 3:30pm @ Sandpoint Library The Winter Reading Program finale will have food, fun and prizes!

Game Night at the Niner 9pm @ 219 Lounge Come down and take part in game night with

POAC presents “The Secret Life of Bees” 7:30pm @ the Heartwood Center Followed by an interactive discussion about Civ

Karaoke Night 10pm - Midnight @ 219 Lounge Parent/Grandparent Grief Group 6-7:30pm @ Bonner General Health Classroom A free community service for parents and grandparents wh experienced the death of a child or grandchild. 208-265-1 Five Minutes of Fame 6:30pm @ Cafe Bodega Writers, musicians, listeners... welcome all.

Held at Cafe Bodega inside Foster’s Crossing

Karma Wednesdays 11am - close @ Baxter’s on Ced Come support Underground K nonprofit offering students too in balance of mind, body and s goes to them! There will be a r of wine and two tickets for 42n

Monarch Open Mic Night Dollar Beers!

6-8pm @ Monarch Mountain Coffee 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Held on the first and third Thursday of Good until the keg’s dry every month. All are welcome to attend!

Irish Dinner 6-10pm @ Twin Lakes Catering Enjoy an evening of delicious outside-the-box Irish fare, plus bring your own wine/beer. RSVP @ 509-557-7293

“The Lady in th 7:30pm @ Pani Starring Golden inated actress M

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March 10 - 17, 2016

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

Reader recommended

Jazz ‘n’ Java Live Music w/ 6-8pm @ Monarch Mountain Coffee Rusty Tracks Held the second Thursday of every 7pm @ Bernd Barrel month. All players welcome! Sit in with Listen to some good a rhythm section, play solo, or just listen! tunes in a clean, comHosted by Larry Mooney, jazz vocalist fortable atmosphere and guitarist; amps and PA provided ontra Dance Fly Fishing Film Tour -10pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall 7pm @ Panida Theater ontra dancing is community dancing for all ages, in Enjoy lots of raffles and door prizes! All proceeds benefit e New England tradition, featuring live music with the Pend Oreille Water Festival, which has been teaching cal and regional bands and lively callers. Comfort- Bonner County fifth graders about water quality and fishble clothing suggested; bring clean, soft-soled shoes eries for 21 years. Tickets $12 if purchased in advance at nd a water bottle. Finger food snacks at the break are North 40 Fly Shop or Eichardt’s Pub. $15 at door uch appreciated. $5 donation at the door suggested Saint Paddy’s Performance Traditional Basque Dinner 11am @ Bonner Mall 5:30pm @ Hope Memorial Community Center The Albeni Falls Pipes and Drums/Dancers will perAppetizers start at 5:30pm and dinner begins an hour form traditional Irish and Scottish music and dancing. later. All are welcome! Menu includes: pickled tongue, This event is free and open to the public beans, soup, salad, french fries, green beans, garlic Live Music w/ Jacob Cummings chicken, beef with gravy and bread. Advance tickets are 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery $30 each or $40 for dinner and three drinks. 264-5481 Jazz/blues guitar chord progressions Cornhole Classic Tournament (Rain or Shine) 5 Years” film 1pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall 30pm @ Panida Theater ominated for an Oscar for Registration at noon, first toss at 1pm. Last est Performance by an Ac- year, there were 19 teams competing in the WC Classic, so do not show up last minute! ess, Charlotte Rampling e Music w/ Jacob Cummings Cost is $5 per person, teams of two; cash and pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery prizes awarded!

hrowback Thursdays at the 219 m @ 219 Lounge aturing live music with Brian Jacobs and hris Lynch, $2 domestics and $3 crafts. in in playing in this informal open mic ght setting every Thursday night

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“45 Years” film 3:30pm @ Panida Theater Nominated for an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress, Charlotte Rampling

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24 Hours for Hank Fundraiser 4-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Featuring Fremont Brewing Company. Raffle prizes. Live music with Marty Perron and Doug parents who have Bond and complimentary appetizers 208-265-1185 Panhandle Forest Collaborative meeting 12-3:30pm @ Sandpoint Ranger District r’s on Cedar ground Kindness, your local A collaborative group that actively seeks to udents tools for life to assist involve representatives from diverse perody and spirit! 10% of sales spectives, needs, and expertise

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AG Meeting 0pm @ Gardenia Center

Throwback Thursdays at the 219 8pm @ 219 Lounge Featuring live music with Brian Jacobs and Chris Lynch, $2 domestics and $3 crafts.

Join in playing in this informal open mic night setting every Thursday night

March 18 Growing Dreams Productions presents “Alice in Wonderland” @ SHS Auditorium March 19 Bridges Home @ Pend d’Oreille Winery March 19 Metal in March @ Roxy’s (featuring 4 local metal bands) March 24 Ales and Trails: Idaho Conservation League After Hours Event @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall March 25-26 “16 Hours” play @ Monarch Mountain Coffee

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-MalcolmMalcolm is a newcomer to Sandpoint. He came from a loving family that lacked the energy to match a full-blooded, red-blooded Vizsla. In fact it’s all Heather and I can do to keep up with him. He loves water, both liquid and solid, so our town is perfect for him. He brought his red Iditarod-chic booties from Salt Lake City and they are the envy of all his new friends. Look for him as he parades us through town on his daily treks to the beach or creek.

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HEALERS, con’t from page 7

was spoken of in sermons. Child neglect, on the other hand, ran rampant, she said.

“They believe that medicine is a temptation from Satan, and to give in is to give in to that temptation,” she said. “They also believe to give in is for people of weak faith or no faith. People of the world are seen as tempted.”

Just as the Swans were told their sin led to Matthew’s illness, so too did Martin experience guilt over loved ones’ poor health. On her ninth birthday, Martin’s aunt went into labor and gave birth to a baby boy. The child died days later of pneumonia complications.

“I was told it was my fault because I had probably done something wrong,” Martin said.

According to Martin, Followers of Christ leaders don’t usually encourage members to keep their children out of public school or separate themselves from society.

However, she said they are extremely secretive about their doctrine. When she was asked what religion she followed in school, Martin said she was Christian Scientist to avoid medical requirements without needing to explain her beliefs. “[Church members] told me people outside would try to destroy the church,” she said. “I would be taken away from family and never see them again.”

“My big question for years was if you’re not hiding anything, if you’re not ashamed of anything, why so secretive?” she added.

Martin grew to loathe Followers of Christ services. The aggressive sermons and the members’ behavior frightened her. She longed to find a means of escape, but as the Swans discovered in 1978, it’s no easy thing to lose your religion.

church officials asking them to reconsider their decision. Then came a bombshell. A Christian Science leader told Swan a member in a different church district had a child who also contracted meningitis. In that case, Christian Science treatments had worked, and the boy recovered. He even had the same practitioner as Matthew.

Swan was shaken. What if they were right? What if Matthew’s death really was their fault?

Push-back to the Idaho exemption has built slowly over the years. CHILD has worked in the state since 1999, encouraging lawmakers to repeal or at least reduce the leniency of faith healing exemptions. But gaining traction has been a long and difficult process.

Martin, who left the Followers of Christ in 1971 after marrying at age 16, is active in seeking a repeal. The stories of suffering that she and CHILD associates have encountered are shocking in their detail.

“Arrian Granden vomited so much that her esophagus ruptured,” reads a CHILD submission to the legislature.

“Micah Taylor Eells died at four days old last year with a bowel obstruction. He was probably screaming and vomiting repeatedly. Pamela Eells gradually drowned as her lungs filled with fluid from pneumonia.”

“It would be more humane to take these kids out and shoot them in the head or slit their throat on an

altar than let them die the way they did,” Martin said.

In recent years, the call for a repeal or alteration of the faith healing exemption has grown stronger. Last year, the Governor’s Task Force on Children at Risk released a report identifying two children who died in 2012 from religion-based medical neglect.

The task force recommended reshaping the laws to require medical care in cases of imminent death or severe disability. That position was backed by Dr. Paul McPherson of St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital.

The task force supports its case by citing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Prince v. Massachusetts, an influential case on both religious freedom and child welfare.

“Parents may be free to become martyrs themselves,” the ruling states. “But it does not follow they are free, in identical circumstances, to make martyrs of their children before they have reached the age of full and legal discretion when they can make that choice for themselves.”

Last month, state Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, dropped off a bill to the Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee that amended Idaho law along recommended lines. Committee chairman Lee Heider, R-Twin Falls, said in January he would allow a hearing on the subject. But on Friday, Heider told the Times-News in Twin Falls that Gannon never requested a hearing, and it’s too late now.

Heider has previously stated

his concerns over an amendment or repeal’s impact on religious liberty. However, he failed to reply to multiple phone and email requests for comment over a two-week period.

“I’m a First Amendment guy,” he told the Times-News. “And I believe in the First Amendment, which gives people freedom of religion.”

In the same article, he said it was primarily out-of-state influences that sought to overturn Idaho’s faith healing exemptions.

“It is not Idahoans that are interested in bringing the legislation forward,” Heider said.

Earlier this year, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter asked legislators to form an interim committee to study faith healing exemptions after the session. However, lawmakers haven’t announced whether or not they’ll follow through on the request.

It’s little consolation for Swan and Martin, who say they’ve marveled for years at the disinterest of Idaho lawmakers and media.

“The way I look at it is the Idaho Legislature is morally bankrupt,” Martin said. “It’s horrible.”

On the other hand, child welfare groups have won successes in other states, and there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.

After learning about another Christian Science child who had recovered from meningitis, Swan set out to investigate. She eventually learned that the boy, who was

17 as opposed to the 16-month-old Matthew, did indeed contract viral meningitis. Rather than receive the usual treatments, doctors kept him in a dark room for several days and fed him glucose. He eventually recovered, and the family gave Christian Science all the credit.

Swan was floored. Why did Matthew die from the illness when others had not?

She made her way to a university library, found a medical textbook and began studying. Written for students, the textbook was barely comprehensible to her. A lifelong Christian Scientist, Swan had almost no knowledge of biology or medical science.

Finally, she remembered that doctors were insistent on giving Matthew antibiotics, which indicated he had bacterial meningitis.

The other boy had viral meningitis.

Swan learned in her reading that this variation is often much milder, sometimes coming and going without any symptoms. It was then she was convinced that sin didn’t kill her son.

“I didn’t need to be afraid we had lost some magical healing system,” she said.

Sitting alone on a hard cement floor, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. And she knew what she had to do next.

Care to comment on this story?

Write us at letters@sandpointreader.com. Please keep it under 400 words, and refrain from using any profanities or libelous statements.

Following Matthew’s death, the Swans resolved to leave the Christian Science church.

“My husband felt very strongly this was not Christian,” Swan said.

“It just could not be right.”

When they tried to withdraw their membership, however, church administrators did not make it easy. They told the Swans they were confused. They said there were members of the church who had lost children and went to church the very next day, eventually rising to higher positions. On one occasion, a church member warned them they “would see Matthew again in proportion” to their faith in God. In the days that followed, the Swans received several calls from March 10, 2016 /

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All hail President Trump:

‘The Political Machine’ confirms our dystopian nightmares

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Knee-deep into the presidential primary season, one name has dominated the national attention: Donald Trump.

His seemingly unstoppable campaign shows no signs of slowing down, distressing Democrats, independents and establishment Republicans alike.

Then again, it’s still an open question how Trump will hold up in a general election.

I wanted to put his campaign through its paces, and thanks to the 2016 edition of the computer game “The Political Machine,” I was able to do just that.

“The Political Machine” is a strategy game that challenges you to manage a presidential campaign from the party nomination to Election Day. Each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses are ranked through statistics, as is his or her stance on the pertinent issues, which influence popularity from state to state. The objective is to win the White House through smart management of speeches, television appearances, advertising, staffing and other resources.

So who can stand up to the machinations of the Trumpster?

Sure, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have their strong points. But using “The Political Machine’s” candidate creator, I decided to bust out the big guns. Yes, you guessed right: professional wrestler and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

It worked for Jesse Ventura; it can work again.

As you can see from the screenshots, The Rock combines his movie star charisma and good looks into a heady political brew, but he’s weak on government experience.

Because he is in touch with the people, he keeps his style casual with muscle shirts and torn jeans but also wears a patriotic top hat. For America.

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It’s also clear The Rock embodies the spirit of optimism our country so desperately needs.

This is most evident in his perpetual thumbs up. Seriously, he never stops giving a thumbs up.

He might be physically unable to relax his left hand. It’s actually a very sad story.

As far as campaign clout is concerned, The Rock brings significant personal wealth to the table but lacks the fundraising know-how of professional politicians. What’s more, The Rock can smell what mankind is cooking: the earth. Through climate change.

And he doesn’t like it.

Leading with an environmental platform, The Rock grabs a surprise Democratic nomination and begins his campaign by shoring up support on the West Coast. It’s not long before California, Washington and Oregon are bluer than a Smurf’s ass. But those were easy victories. Will The Rock’s no-nonsense physicality appeal to Middle America?

According to early polling, it does indeed. The leads in all but the reddest of states are imposing. And they only grow thanks to an impressive showing on “The O’Malley Scenario,” where The Rock withstands an aggressive grilling by Bill O’Malley over the war on Christmas.

Trump reacts to the early leads with an orgy of spending on advertisements and campaign headquarters. But it does little to dampen The Rock campaign’s morale. At a celebratory office party, one campaign staffer drunkenly exclaims, “Trump can kiss my Democratic butt!”

That enthusiasm is shortlived. As the weeks drag on, Trump’s focus on spending and generating political capital begins to bear fruit. He soon has valuable endorsements from conservative Christian and foreign policy organizations. The Rock begins to slip in the polls.

Screenshots from “The Political Machine,” which used to be our publisher’s nickname in high school. Nah, but wouldn’t it be great if it was?

The political hemorrhaging is stymied when it comes time to select a vice president. The Rock taps Bernie Sanders, counting on the senator’s enthusiastic support base to propel him to victory. Trump, meanwhile, selects Marco Rubio, who is apparently very quick to forgive all the times the billionaire called him a “child” or a “tiny boy” during the primary.

Somewhere in New Jersey, Chris Christie drowns his sorrows in a bag of Doritos.

Alas, it is all for naught. As Election Day approaches, no advertising campaign, speech or television appearance by The Rock seems to make a dent in Trump’s polling. The Democrat-

ic campaign staffer that was so enthusiastic months ago now resorts to pathetic self-delusion. “Things are revving up for Dwayne!” he cries. “Just you wait and see!”

The worst fears are confirmed on Election Day, when Donald Trump hands Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson a crushing defeat. The Rock consoles millions of broken hearts in his concession speech, his dejection evident despite an unwavering thumbs up still held high.

So what do we take away from this experiment in com-

puterized campaigning? You could, I suppose, chalk up the loss to my inexperience with “The Political Machine.” On the other hand, if The Rock can’t beat Donald Trump, who can?

Perhaps it’s time to make room in your heart for the United States of Trump.

STAGE & SCREEN

‘Trudell’ chronicles life of Native American activist

By Reader Staff The March film screening finale, as part of the East Bonner County Library District and The Idaho Mythweaver’s free Native Heritage Film Series, is a provocative and poignant artistic portrait that chronicles the life of poet and Native American activist, the late John Trudell, who died in Dec. 2015.

“Trudell,” traces John Trudell’s life beginning in the 1960s with his civil rights and environmental rights activism that lasted until a devastating personal tragedy in 1979 ended his role in the grassroots American Indian Movement.

Soon afterwards, Trudell’s voice reemerged within the power of creative expression as poetry, music and performance art, becoming an outspoken artistic force that continued to inspire the world.

The film was directed by Heather Rae, who created the film over a 12-year period of Trudell’s life.

Two screenings will take place on Saturday, March 19 at 12:30 p.m. and

2:30 p.m. at the East Bonner County Library’s Sandpoint branch, 1407 Cedar Street. The film showings are free to the public, and include light refreshments.

They are shown with the generous support of TransEco Services, Bodega Cafe and Foster’s Crossing, Multilingual Computing and Keokee Creative Group.

Trudell was one of the co-founders of AIM, the American Indian Movement.

A Santee-Dakota tribal member, Trudell was a political spokesman and philosopher on behalf of grassroots American Indian activists in the U.S. The FBI had amassed a 17,000-page dossier on Trudell—one of the longest in the agency’s history, noting in a agency memo that: “He is extremely eloquent…therefore extremely dangerous.”

In 1979, while protesting the U.S. government’s policy on American Indian affairs in Washington D.C., Trudell’s pregnant wife, three children and mother-in-law were killed in a suspicious fire on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation that straddles Idaho and Nevada. The devastating tragedy ended Trudell’s

Reader Reels premiers this weekend Featuring films from off the beaten track

direct activism, but not his spirit and will to speak out on behalf of his people, the land and the Earth.

In the decades that followed, his spoken word performances, in collaboration with Native musicians, moved Trudell into the international entertainment arena.

Bob Dylan called Trudell’s album, “Tribal Voices,” his personal album of the year. In the film, musicians Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, and Jackson Browne sing praises for Trudell’s creative work, as well.

In the discussion that follows the screenings, Idaho Mythweaver director Jane Fritz will discuss her and the Mythweaver’s professional connections

John Trudell. to John Trudell and his wife’s family, reaching back to 1989 and the organization’s work with the Idaho tribes.

The film showings are free to the public, and includes light refreshments.

March 10 & 12 @ 7:30pm, March 13 @ 3:30pm

“45 years” film

Starring Oscar nominated Charolette Rampling

Friday, March 11 @ 7:00pm

2016 Fly fishing festival tour

All proceeds from this event will benefit the Pend Oreille Water Festival

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff If you’re over 21 and are looking for late-night entertainment, you can’t go wrong with the new film series Reader Reels.

The first event in the series hits 10 p.m. Saturday, March 12, and features famous screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s critically acclaimed claymation film, “Anomalisa.” The film explores the life of a disenchanted self-help author in Kaufman’s signature blend of laughs, heartfelt emotion and a little weirdness.

Tickets are $7.50 at the Panida Theater, with student and senior discounts available. The event is restricted to ages 21 and up, and beer and wine will be available for sale.

Thursday, March 12 @ 10:00pm

21+ Reader Reels presents: “Anomalisa” A new film series celebrating off-kilter film selections March 17–18 @ 7:30pm, March 19–20 @ 3:30pm

“The Lady in the van” film Saturday, March 19 @ 8:00pm

live comedy night

March 25 & 26 @ 7:30pm

“Forsaken” film

featuring donald and kiefer sutherland playing father and son

dough -- love thy nature -- Cartel land Eddie the Eagle -- Embrace of the Serpent March 10, 2016 /

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The Straight Poop:

o h a d I h t r o N n i s e s s y e n r i s e u b t s y l l d n o e i h fr p g U o d t r o n f i t s o e p u q The Sand

By Drake the Dog Reader Pet Columnist

Where am I taking my humans today? Spring is in the air, and it’s time to find some fabric to re-upholster my dog bed. The Missus is out of town on a biz trip, so I get to hang out with the Mister and live my dream job as the official shop dog at Sandpoint Upholstery, located at 102 S. Second Ave. I love to sit in front of the big windows and watch for customers. The Mister told me the story of how he became a master upholsterer. He grew up in Duluth, served in the Navy as corpsman and rose to the rank of second class petty officer. Using the GI bill, he graduated from the University of Washington. After college, he accidentally got into the furniture business (vinyl repair) with a college friend. The twosome split, and he started upholstering individual pieces in his garage. Then he hired a semi-retired associate and learned the specifics of the trade. A few years later, he opened a more sophisticated custom furniture manufacturing business in Bellevue.

The Mister had the barkin’ experience of working for customers such as the Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Phil Condit

residences, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Boeing Company and a number of highend architects and designers.

(I bet they had some awesome dog treats … wish I would have known the Mister then!). Frequently his company won custom upholstery awards during the Seattle Street of Dreams.

When the Mister and Missus first crossed the Long Bridge in 2005, Sandpoint had them at “hello.”

After 38 successful years in Washington, the Mister sold the business, retired and the duo moved to Sandpoint (where folks wave all five fingers!).

They wanted to live in a small, vibrant arts community, closer to a ski mountain, hiking and water sports. After three months of retired life, The Mister needed a creative outlet.

Two years ago, he opened Sandpoint Upholstery, collaborating with a with full service designer, Dion Williams of DW Design. Local satisfied customers include – Jon Sayler, Georgia Shonk- Simmons, Kally Thurman, and designer, Barbie Buchanan, just to name a few.

Sandpoint Upholstery specializes in antique restoration, custom headboards, and custom upholstery. They have the largest fabric selection in Sandpoint – with access to global fabric

distributors. And they specialize in pattern matching (do your stripes match?).

Folks don’t know what they want until they start looking at fabric. The Mister gibber jabbers with his customers to create a visual conversation about the room where the furniture (and dog beds) live. Once he formulates that illustration, he can then use his knowledge of fabrics to guide the customers to an appropriate array of sample selections. He offers complementary fabric sample checkout to ensure that the particular fabric sample colorways don’t change when they take up residence in the room. (Who knew that lighting, paint color, carpet and four-footed children could have an effect on how a fabric appears in a room!) Once the fabric has been chosen, the project completion takes a couple of weeks to a month, depending on workload and fabric availability.

Folks re-upholster furniture for a number of reasons. The piece could be a family heirloom or keepsake, or to enhance the quality of the furniture compared to the newer manufactured versions (plywood/particle board/padding). Individual pricing is based on the particular item, which might include tufting, skirting, new cushion

Kinderhaven awarded $15k grant

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Kinderhaven is one of the many Idaho nonprofits to have received a grant this year from the Idaho Community Foundation (ICF).

The Gladys E. Langroise Advised Fund in the ICF has awarded the Sandpoint-based nonprofit $15,000.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have received the grant,” said Kinderhaven Executive Director Jennifer Plummer.

“The grant comes to Kinder16 /

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haven from the Gladys E. Langroise Advised Fund in the Idaho Community Foundation, and what is so exciting is that the grant is for general operational expenses. This gives us the freedom to use the funds in support of our greatest needs at Kinderhaven. Grants of this kind are much more unusual, and we feel deeply blessed and grateful to have received such a generous contribution to our program.”

Across the state, ICF awarded more than $447,000 in grants from the Langroise fund. The fund was established through a generous $15 million bequest to the ICF from Boise philanthropist Gladys Langroise. It supports the health, education and welfare of children, including college students.

To learn more about Kinderhaven, check out www.KinderhavenSandpoint.com.

filler, decorative nail trim, or details. While re-upholstery is not necessarily inexpensive, it’s better bang for the buck. And that’s a tail-waggin’ good piece of advice!

Sandpoint Upholstery Rules: 1. Hours are by appointment or short notice (retirement rocks!)

2. Leashes required 3. Nose art on the windows is welcome 4. Dog friendly canine customers please 5. Bring healthy treats to share 6. Do your business outside, not on the fabric samples.

Drake and the Mister at Sandpoint Upholstery.

Random Corner Presidential facts

1. George Washington’s teeth were actually made of elephant and walrus tusks, not wood.

2. James Madison is our smallest president, standing at 5’4” and weighing under 100 pounds.

William H. Taft is the largest, at 332 pounds.

3. Jimmy Carter was the first US president to be born in a hospital.

4. Herbert Hoover spoke Chinese to his wife to keep their stories private.

5. Warren G. Harding gambled away a set of White House china.

6. Grover Cleveland was the first and only president to serve non-consecutive terms.

7. Chester A. Arthur changed his pants several times a day. He is said to have owned over 80 pairs.

8. Rutherford B. Hayes is the first president to use the telephone. His phone number was 1.

ART

'Broken Surfaces’ The art of Erik Keller

By Ben Olson Reader Staff When Erik Keller wanted to print and share some of his travel photos on a larger scale, he found that financial limitations were holding him back.

Instead of sinking a bunch of money into the project, Keller decided to try something a little more creative, and a new style was born out of the effort.

“Broken Surfaces” is a new art exhibit showing at Studio 524 at Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters. The pieces feature large photographs broken into individual squares and printed separately, then screwed onto a plywood backing. The result is a style that transforms a simple photograph into more of an installation piece.

“I’m exploring the border between photography and sculpture,” he said. “Breaking photographs into pieces allows for assemblies with a third dimension and a presence as objects. The photograph loses emphasis becoming one of several design elements.”

The pieces vary from macro views of dragonfly wings to an Italian villa’s windows, to giraffes cavorting at the London Zoo. At the core of the project was the need to create on a budget, and that’s where the creativity shines through.

“Part of it was the printer I have to work with,” he said. “It only prints a certain size.

I wanted to print a really big piece to fit on the wall, so the only way to achieve what I wanted in my mind without breaking the bank was to print the larger photo up into individual segments.”

Keller first showed the work at a show last year at Common Knowledge Coffee Shop.

“I’m poor as hell, so I couldn’t pay to have them all printed,” he said. “I made a big display board and used a strip of plywood, then screwed the photos onto a plywood backer.

It turned out nice.”

The photos are primarily from Keller’s travels, featuring shots from Oregon, Cambodia, London and Italy. He took the photos with everything from a Fuji point-and-shoot to a Canon DSLR. “I’ve taken photos for 20 years, but never had a good

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

READ

A couple weeks ago, I got nostalgic for The Far Side cartoons by Gary Larson. I even inquired to see how much it would be to reprint them in the Reader, but sadly, they are no longer available for syndication.

Alas, have no fear, “The Complete Far Side” is a new collection out that features almost every cartoon Gary Larson drew. It’s spendy (around $100), but if you’re a die hard fan of the surreal spin that Larson put on the world, it’s worth every penny.

LISTEN

Erik Keller stands before a couple of his art pieces hanging at Studio 524. Photo by Ben Olson.

camera until last year,” he said.

Woods Wheatcroft, the curator for Studio 524, was impressed with Keller’s creations.

“It’s really cool what happens to a photograph when you do stuff like drive screws through it and separate them out. It changes the whole look.”

Overall, Keller is satisfied with the reaction to his work.

There are “sold” stickers on more than half of his pieces, which is always a good sign.

“Yesterday I came in to hang one final piece and this woman cut me a check, saying she really loved the piece,” he said. “I sold four of them while I was there hanging. The

response has been awesome.”

In the future, Keller hopes to take commissions for a piece that would stay in a permanent position. For now, the “Broken Surfaces” show has served as a catalyst for new ideas.

“It keeps opening up more ideas than I can shut down,” he said.

To see Erik Keller’s work, check out the exhibit at Studio 524 at Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters. There will be an art reception on Saturday, March 19 from 4 to 7 p.m. featuring coffee and wine and maybe even a little music.

Crossword Solution

Radiohead is awesome. That information isn’t new by any means, but did you know frontman Thom Yorke has a couple of solo projects out there?

Both of Yorke’s solo albums capture the spirit of Radiohead’s cool electronic style.

The latest release, 2014’s “Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes” was released as a free download, just like Radiohead’s “In Rainbows.”

It’s a great album if you’re fans of Yorke, both as a solo artist and as the driving force behind the coolest electronic alternative rock band still making music.

WATCH

The short-lived TV show “Revolution” features an interesting plot line: What if the world loses power?

The show, featuring “Breaking Bad” villain Giancarlo Esposito, is in the same milieu as “The Walking Dead” except there are no brain eating zombies to worry about—just tribes of dangerous people.

The show ends somewhat abruptly after two seasons, with plot holes left wholly unsolved, but it’s still an entertaining ride.

Uber geeks will be glad to know the aggravated fans will have some resolution on May 4, with the release of four digital comic books ending the series in a proper way.

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w o N & Then Ben Olson

Each week, we feature a new photograph taken from the same vantage point as one taken long ago. See how we’ve changed, and how we’ve stayed the same.

Historical information provided and verified by Bonner County Museum staff and volunteers. The Museum is located at 611 S. Ella — (208) 263-2344.

The City Garage at 405 Cedar St. in Sandpoint. W.E. Jaeger is listed as proprietor as of 1923, so it’s a fair guess that Jaeger bought the property from Foster, who owned the garage prior to 1923. There are 12 autos lined up out front.

c. 1920s

CROSSWORD

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Cryptogram solution: “Free and open access to information and ideas is essential to a democracy.”

compiled by

ACROSS

The same view today. The eastern side of La Quinta Inn currently occupies the space that was once the City Garage.

2016

groggery

Woorf tdhe Week

/GROG-uh-ree/

[noun] 1. A slightly disreputable barroom.

“To the groggery, I say!” said the drunk to the wall.

Corrections: In last week’s story about the gunfire incident at Super 1, we stated Huckaby “who stepped out of his truck with the handgun...” but it should have read “who was stepping out of his truck...” The point is; Huckaby was half in and half out of the truck when the gun went off, which some Internet commenters claimed we got wrong. We were right, according to Sandpoint Police, except for the slight error in tense. -BO 18 /

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1. Does something 5. Sail supports 10. Sitcom set in Korea 14. Boor 15. Inuit boat 16. Forearm bone 17. Mongolian desert 18. Discourse 20. City on San Francisco Bay 22. Large drinking vessel 23. Website address 24. S S S S 25. Incapable of being repudiated 32. Lists of dishes available 33. Mistake 34. African antelope 63. Dines 37. Flying mammals 64. In shape 38. Fortuneteller’s card 65. Being 39. God of love 40. Mineral rock DOWN 41. Silk-cotton tree 1. Aquatic plant 42. Skid 2. Not hot 43. Sugarless 3. Brass instrument 45. Fanatical 4. An act to arose action 49. Carpet 5. Confuse 50. Embodiment 6. Dogfish 53. Windfall 7. Female sib 57. Unmerited 8. Diplomacy 59. French for “Black” 9. Gull-like bird 60. Appear 10. Odorous glandular 61. Marble secretions 62. Mugs 11. Assumed name

12. A loud sleeping sound 13. “All _____ on deck!”

19. Contemptuous look 21. Anagram of “Sire” 25. Part of an ear 26. Close 27. Initial wager 28. Some tides 29. Barb 30. Penniless 31. A parcel of land 34. Smile 35. Connecting point 36. Utilized 38. Buff 39. Poshness 41. Praise

Solution on page 17 42. Render unconscious 44. Worn away 45. Utilize again 46. Breathing problem 47. Anagram of “Debit” 48. List components 51. Food from animals 52. Therefore 53. Mend (archaic) 54. French for “We” 55. Whizzes 56. Backside 58. Delivery vehicle

There was probably an old Viking saying that said, “Ax in the head, early to bed; ax in the helmut, a friend of Helmut.”

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