Tags: Keep the 4th of July on the 4th in Idaho Falls

The point here I believe is that if they are city fire works for all to enjoy then the city should be responsible for them. The problem is that they are allowing one man/private organization do the ONLY city PUBLIC FREE firework show! Telling people that they should just go set off their own fireworks at their home on the 4th is quite frankly ridiculous. How many people do you think would have to choose between food for the week and the fireworks? ALOT! Fireworks are really expensive and many live in apartments that you could not set them off at home because the parking lot is private property not owned by the renter. For many many children the only fireworks they get to see are those that Vandersloot pays for!

Those are just some issues with you telling them to do it on their own. Now, Separation of Church & State, well folks I’m sorry but Eastern Idaho isn’t the only place in the good ol’ USA that has a problem with that Constitutional mandate! The City of Idaho Falls and Chamber of Commerce should take the responsibility of getting the money for the fireworks and the rest of the 4th celebration. Their isn’t a problem with Vandersloot donating to the money pool for that. However, letting him be the only one in charge and the only one to foot the bill is certainly against the Democratic way if you ask me.

And yes I do agree that this state as well as Utah rely far to much on the LDS church to make their laws and run the state. The whole reason we celebrate the 4th of July is to celebrate freedom. And in case anyone of any particular religion has forgotten, that was originally FREEDOM FROM RELIGIOUS PROSECUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It wasn’t all about freedom from government and taxes! It was about the freedom to practice whatever religion you wanted. The problem has been that in 200+ years the people of the US have not adhered to that!!!!!!

There is also no reason why citizens/residents of Idaho Falls should not/could not donate money to the fireworks cause throughout the year in order to free it from the stranglehold that it currently it is under. For the Mayor’s office to say there is no interest in making sure that our holidays stay on the actual day of the holiday is preposterous! Do you honestly think the framers of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights would agree with switching the celebration of what they fought for to a different day every 7 years when the holiday falls on a Sunday just for the convenience of those of a particular religion? NO!!!!!!!!

It is up to the people who have a problem with the holiday being on a Sunday to change their celebration not the ENTIRE STATE OR CITY OR COUNTY!

Tags: 4th of July on the 4th, Frank Vandersloot's Idaho Falls fireworks, Idaho Falls fireworks, Melaleuca fireworks in Idaho Falls, Melaleuca Freedom Celebration

Tags: Bonneville County Democrats Pancakes and Politics, Tom Sullivan

Eastern Idaho Chapter of PFLAG

Tags: PFLAG, PFLAG Idaho Falls

Gotterdammerung - “Complete destruction of an institution, regime, order, etc.”  If you live in the IF area and want to experience a taste of gotterdammerung for yourself (but without all that ghastly “world destruction” part), then I have an offer for you.    Kevin and Dewayne (Eastern Idaho Organics) are seeking the volunteer efforts of a few good dirt-workers.  People who will work the fields, feed the chickens, etc., for a half day a month (or more, if you have fun doing it - and trust me, it IS fun).  But, four hours, once a month is all they ask.    Which got me thinking.  “Wouldn’t it be rockin awesome to put together a day of my friends to do this with?”   Those of us who participate in soup kitchen are already acquainted with the joy of spending four hours a month on a common goal that stretches beyond our own personal pursuits.  Tending the land is like serving lunch at the kitchen - you’re investing in your own community, strengthening its roots, building its muscle, honoring its spirit…and keeping local dollars where they belong.   (I like to call it, “Sticking it to The Man“.)   Plus, in exchange for rubbing elbows with some of IF’s coolest community-members, you’ll receive organically grown, hand-picked by you, fresh, fantastic veggies of your choice.  If you like spinach, take spinach.  If you loathe green peppers, don’t take any.  That kind of thing.     Plus, you will have the right to officially declare yourself amongst the ranks of us who literally “work for food“.  Now THAT’S something impressive for your resume, darlings.   Kevin and Dewayne are also seeking share-buyers - people who will purchase a full share or a half.  A full share is 400.00 for the season, a half is 250.00.  I asked if two people could go in on one full share and they said “sure”, so that’s an option, too.  I’m not buying a share, I’m working a day a week volunteering, so if you’re like me (want to declare gotterdammerung on the Corporate Greed Produce Pigs by supporting local agriculture - but you’re fundage-dysfunctional), talk to me.   Anyhow, please be interested in doing this volunteer thing and let’s put together a day or two each month of local people working the land.  It will be fun!  We’ll be like a bunch of tattooed, bad-assed Quakers but without the over-stuffed attire and submissive women.  (Anybody who’s worked soup kitchen with us knows that “submissive women” to us is like “thought provocation” to Glenn Beck viewers.)    Join me today!  Declare gotterdammerung on factory-farmed, taste-dysfunctional, abuse-ridden, MONSANTO products.  Be a rebel, join the fight against the hostile corporate take-over of your dinner plate.   Peace, love, and pass the organically-grown, locally-harvested potatoes,   kym

Tags: Eastern Idaho Organics, Gotterdammerung, local organic produce

 Hello Friends,

Sold in Bonneville County, apparently on Saturday night.  It matched all 5 white balls but not the red PowerBall.  In addition, the person who played it selected the “PowerPlay” option, which costs an extra dollar per set of numbers, but in the case of 2nd largest prize (normally $200,000.00) it multiplies it to ONE MILLION $$$$.

Check your tickets, people!  If you’re savvy enough to play the PowerPlay option, you probably already have checked your tickets.  But just in case…do it now!

The most important thing I found out today….

It wasn’t me. 

Maybe it was one of YOU, my dearest and most wonderful of friends?  And you’re feeling especially generous about all the hard work your humble webmaster does?  I thought so, how kind of you!

Tags: Blue Cross, Clark Corbin, Dan Henry, health care reform, Post Register, The Citizens' Posse

Corey Taule, who took over for Marty Trillhaase last year, announced in the first Post Register edition of 2010 that the PR was making changes to the Opinions page…specifically in the Letters to the Editor part, which he acknowledged was the majority of the content of the Opinions page.

I’m interested in this, because it seems counterintuitive to the concept of a freedom of speech page in a newspaper, which is how I’ve always seen the Opinions page.  Some of the changes announced were downright defiant…they refuse to print any more letters that make the claim that President Obama was not born in the United States.  Corey said he was tired of those letters, as is Roger Plothow, who is the Publisher.  “Enough said”.  Wow.  What a stand to make, it just seems so contrary to the previous years of allowing all the wingnuts for Conspiracy Theorists R Us their usual ad nauseam weekly forum.

See, I’ve always felt the PR was a toady to the local conservative crowd, that they bent over backwards to the point of self-neutering to try to prove they weren’t liberals.  Despite their incessant efforts to publish all the conservative garbage they could get their hands on, it never made a difference.  It didn’t matter how much they catered to that group, the teabaggers and John Birchers never warmed to them and still to this day accuses the PR of being a liberal rag, a mere lackey to the liberal cabal that surely holds the REAL power in South East Idaho.   Bleah!

Daily News

They’re also asking for less vitriol.  Again, wow!  Attacking your favorite whipping boy (GWB, BHO, RR, etc) by using sarcastic terms and outright name-calling is now supposed to be taboo.  Yeah, right.  I’ll believe that when I stop reading it, which would be a total blessing, imho.  I’m crossing my fingers on this one, that they really do what they are threatening to do. 

And I wonder what the effect of this ban will be…will the sarcasm become more subtle, to see what creative options the letter writer can get away with?  And also, will the PR edit or delete the online Post Talks forum nastiness, which tends to be pretty virulent at times?

And they’re calling for an end to letters and columns that pretty much deal with -isms they define as capitalism, socialism, (communism? conservatism/liberalism? ) etc.  What?  No 450 words on how our Constitution is in trouble because we’ve suddenly become a Marxist state?  No 250 words on how Obama is a socialist and bringing the New World Order to fruition and we all must answer a call to revolution to take back our country from the tyranny it is facing?

The only reason this feels bad to me is that I’ve always felt the community newspaper was supposed to be an open forum for all, even the crazy people.  Of course, some things such as profanity would always be edited out (it had fucking better be, little kids read the paper when their parents forget to throw it out in a hurry!) and threats of violence against someone else would not be printed due to legal liabilities, etc.  But almost every other damned crazy thing was always printed, to my dismay and delight at the same time.  Our paper.  Our page, content by our community.

Until now.  And that is the end of an era to me.  In fact, it smacks of private control.  It smacks of intelligent planning (I wanted to say “design” there but that term was co-opted by the freaks).  It smacks of a business saying, this is who we are and you are welcome to play on our turf but you must play by certain rules of civility that we have determined will meet our sensibilities.   Interesting concept, and something I’ve always wanted, but a change to my view of a community newspaper as an open community forum.

But there’s hope.  According to Corey:

On the other hand, well-researched columns that deal with specific issues, especially local ones, or even tell a good story will be accepted enthusiastically and published quickly, no matter whether they come from the left, right or center.

   Can I get an amen, brothers and sisters?  Cheers and kudos to the Post Register, if they will hold firm and stick to their stated principles.

Tags: Corey Taule, Opinions Page, Post Register, Roger Plothow

Will Rex Rammell ever stop embarrassing the state of Idaho?  He’s decided to take his extremism (described by one author on this site as appealing to the lunatic fringe) to new heights.  He’ll get there by having a series of meetings, invitation-only, for Latter Day Saints (Mormon) men who hold the priesthood.  No women allowed. 

Basically, white male power.  Why would this be important?  Well, he thinks the Constitution is in danger from people who don’t subscribe to his personal political and religious beliefs (read, in danger from anyone who isn’t enamored of Glenn Beck).  And there is a fake prophecy that has existed for many many years, wherein the Mormon Church founder (Joseph Smith) supposedly said in the style of Nostradamus that in the future, the American Constitution would be in danger, and the Mormon priesthood holders would save it.  The priesthood constitute the White Horse, which will save the chosen world.  It’s been debunked over and over again, but it holds weak minds who crave power and glory spellbound with its promise of revolution to regain the good old days, when wimmin had no power and a man was still in charge of his household and his country.

It’s dark and dangerous times, for sure.  When crazy people like him abound (and they actually are the “mainstream” in eastern Idaho and in Utah) then the country is ripe for the same internal strife that other countries have endured and we have only watched from afar.  I keep thinking, Canada looks really really good, because I’m just too damned old and tired to go to war against my crazy neighbors.

Tags: Constitution, Rex Rammell, White Horse