Just a quick reminder of this weeks TLC (True Loyal Connections) Meeting.
Tuesday, April 1st, at The Continental Bistro, 140 S. Main in Old Town Pocatello.
Time: 11:45 to 1:00 pm
Spencer with A1 Restoration will be presenting for us this week.
If you’re crunched for time there will be a soup and salad bar for $5.50 or you can call your lunch in ahead of time if you like. The phone number for The Bistro is 233-4433.
The sole purpose of this time is to meet with Business Owners, Managers and Leaders to network, pass referrals and have lunch.
There is nothing to join, and no cost other than your lunch and a $1.00 voluntary donation to support our group. Bring a new friend and your lunch could be free!
Remember, everyone who attends is eligible to win a free dinner courtesy of The Continental Bistro.
If you have any questions please call Troy Neu at 234-2679.
Troy Neu
Old Town Embroidery
208-234-2679
208-251-9910
Sean, a columnist for 123idaho
Sent me the following message:
Do you love America and respect our men and women in uniform?
Be ready to shed a few tears with this one. Very moving, and certainly worth the two minutes to watch.
If you can stand country music this is a must.
Save it afterwards.
This soldier video, "If I die before you wake" is new and different. It is moving and heartwarming.
Enjoy and pass it on!
Three soldiers wrote the song and put this together in their 'free time'over there. The singer needs a recording contract when he comes home!
Click here for more info on "If I die before you wake"
It looks like the competition for the limited funding dollars in Idaho higher education is starting to brew toward a boil.
Boise State president Bob Kustra was giddy after the 2007 Fiesta Bowl win. But in recent radio show interviews he is quick to point out that the game was two years ago, and that Boise State is bringing in research dollars.
However, with Senator Lary Craig's impending departure -- many are worried that the lack of such a senior senator will negatively affect some of the large traditional pork dollars -- something that the experienced and well connected Craig has been able to bring to Idaho colleges for many years.
In Pocatello, Idaho State University president Arthur Vailas has initiated plans for a medical mission with an 8 year timeline.
But University of Idaho President Tim White is a not a supporter of these recent efforts by ISU to create a medical school on its campus, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.
The University of Idaho is charged with producing doctors for the state, and does that as part of the WAMI program at the University of Washington in Seattle, White said.
The joint medical school project also trains students from Wyoming, Alaska and Montana and is a high-quality, cost-effective way to produce doctors, White said. Students take classes at both Idaho and Washington.
With the additional funding dilemma of an evident national recession, it will be interesting to see which Idaho universities and colleges come out on top in this battle for finite resources.
Shaundell Thomas, of the Idaho State Student's Community Service Center, reports:
Student Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE) is looking for artists to help them celebrate Earth Week. SAVE is looking for environmental, recycling, earth or trash related art-work for people to enjoy on the Arbor Day Art-Walk .
The art work will be displayed during the Earth Week festivities on the Quad Thursday April 24th. If you need more information or have art work to submit contact the Student Action Volunteers for the Environment by calling us at 282-4522, e-mail us at scsc@isu.edu.
ISU Football needs students to film football spring practice. Must be work study eligible. Hours 3:30PM to 6:30 PM Tues. Thurs., Fri., Sat. Must be reliable, responsible with expensive equipment.
Will train but experience is desirable. Contact James at 282-3124 or 705-6127 Mon. – Fri., 8:00 AM– 5:00 PM. Or by e-mail to vongjame@isu.edu.
Obama said that race is an issue that this nation cannot afford to ignore right now.
It is a great thing that he has the courage to address such important social trends. Obama needs to be applauded for kicking off the national dialogue that no one else wanted to begin.
"The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced ... reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through - a part of our union that we have yet to perfect," Obama said. "And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American."
Obama is correct in his assertion that we need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.
History affects us today. There are past and present injustices that still need remedies. The two blend together.
Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven't fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today's black and white students, Obama said.
I am also glad that he reminded us about legalized discrimination:
"Blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments - meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations."
Obama made it clear how that history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today's urban and rural communities.
"A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family, contributed to the erosion of black families - a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened," Obama said. "And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods - parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement - all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us."
This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up, including my parents.
My grandparents had it worse. The impact of their stories and impressions on me as I lived with them during my formative years and beyond, is something that I will always live with -- an imprint on the psyche of every African American. Archetypes of such historical magnitude cannot be downplayed with cheap shot distractions about "Obama's bad judgement."
On the current state of Black Americans, it is anti-intellectual and ahistorical to conclude that "these people did it to themselves."
Obama elaborates:
"But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn't make it - those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations - those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future."
Having grown up and having spent most of my life in predominately black and multi-ethnic communities, I have been hearing Wright-like expressions for decades. So there was no suprise to me when I heard the words that came from that pulpit.
Welcome to Black America.
Wright is one slice of our diverse population, religions, and politcal opinions. However, it is a good thing that his words are now out for national scrutiny, because they allow us to delve into a detailed intellectual analysis about what the real problems are, concerning race in America.
"Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways," Obama said. " For the men and women of Reverend Wright's generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicians, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician's own failings."
He continues:
"And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races."
Obama adds:
"In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time."
I like the fact that Obama highlights how talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.
And his following words are brilliant:
"Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.
This is a discussion that the United States citizenry has needed to have for a long time.
-- Michael
The importance of universities such as Idaho State, and their vital role in the local, state, and national economy is something that is often overlooked and underutilized.
Idaho State University President Arthur Vailas has reiterated the need for ISU to cross state, national, and global boundaries as the university seeks to grow and continue its track record of excellence.
Vailas will be the featured speaker at the City Club of Idaho Falls luncheon on Friday, March 28.
President Vailas will address the economic impact of Idaho State University, particularly the contribution that ISU’s research activities make to the economies of Idaho Falls and the state in the fields of energy, health care and medical education.
City Club is a nonpartisan public forum for civil discussion of public affairs. Previous guests have included U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter and former Idaho Gov. Cecil D. Andrus.
The luncheon is scheduled from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Samuel Horne Bennion Student Union Multipurpose Room, at the Idaho Falls Center for Higher Education at University Place, 1784 Science Center Drive. Lunch is $15. Gallery seating is free. To RSVP or for more information, call (208) 227-1702 or send an e-mail to ifcityclub@gmail.com.
Such events need to be highlighted and well attended, so that Idaho State University does not continue to be the best kept secret in higher education.
On her realityexists JHub blog, notes from the left edge, Elena Webb wrote:
"Later, (Fox Commentator Chris) Wallace went on to say that there were more news-worthy stories that viewers might be interested in & maybe it was the media's fault for keeping the spin going:
Far be it for me to be a spokesman for the Obama campaign, and I will tell you that they would laugh at that characterization, but you know, the fact is that after giving a speech on race earlier this week, on Tuesday, he gave a major speech on Iraq on Wednesday and a major speech on the economy yesterday. And so, I think they would say that in terms of deflecting attention away from the issues people really want to hear about, maybe it’s the media doing it, not Barack Obama.
Well... the end of the world may be near when even Fox commentators are feeling guilty about how out-of-control the media has gotten."
It is very true, and very unfortunate that the media is out of control. Money drives it, which is the reason we hear more about Britney Spears than about the war in Iraq, global warming, education, etc.
But I also knew that Obama is dealing with the height of the most complex human issues, on the world's biggest stage, with the highest stakes possible.
I was wondering when the honeymoon for Barack was going to be over. It appears that time has come.
Obama will now truly be tested as a national and world leader, not just as a great speechmaker.
"In a political world largely defined by lowest common denominators anything that soars to the heights of greatness is rare," writes Martin Hackworth. "We got a glimpse of such an event last week in the form of Sen. Barack Obama’s address to the nation concerning race. In a memorable and thoroughly remarkable speech Obama defined himself as one of the rare breed who actually care more about the challenges that confront us than getting elected to office."
An internet poster responded to Hackworth's column: "Mr. Hackworth, you sir are sadly mistaken. Mr. Obama's speech reduced him in the eyes of many from a Black man running for the Presidency to the Black candidate for President. Many of my friends who did vote for him in the caucus, and may have voted for him if he were nominated, now will not vote for him at all based on his comments during and after the speech."
In my family, we have dozens of members of all possible skin colors, hair colors, eye colors, and hues. Several nationalities, many religions, and at least two continents are represented. My daughters have a skin tone, background, and angelic glow that defies racial description.
So I can relate to Obama, who in his speech, said:
"I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible."
So what is the definition of: a black candidate for president?
Some perceive residents of Chubbuck to be elitist or deliberately separate from the "commonfolk" across the way in Pocatello.
And small town cops have gotten a bad rap in some circles.
But Chubbuck, Idaho is a progressive place.
In the article below, Brooke Anderson does a good job of showing the human, poised, and caring sides of Todd Orr, a Chubbuck Police officer who I have had occassion to work on a few issues with.
The last time I saw Officer Orr, I was literally looking up at him. I was passed out, sleeping in my van in the Chubbuck WalMart parking lot. I had the motor running. It was a hot night and I was using the air conditioning. Orr checked in with me to see if I was alright, and suggested that I turn the car off so that someone wouldn't steal it while I was sleeping in the back.
Good point. That would not have been fun.
I'm going to get a battery operated fan (and an electric blanket for winter) to solve that problem.
-- Michael
___________________
Officer enjoys teamwork
BY BROOKE ANDERSON For the Journal
CHUBBUCK — Patrol Cpl. Todd Orr got into law enforcement because he loved the camaraderie that he experienced while he was in the Marines in the 1990s. He thought he would experience the same kind of teamwork he did in the military — and that expectation proved true.
“In almost any work environment, you can be in a place where people don’t like it. But everyone here loves to go to work and loves to be here. It helps when everyone loves their jobs,” explains Orr .
For example, he has noticed, “It’s kind of interesting. There are always major situations when people come together and sacrifice their time with friends and family.”
But for Orr it’s the day to day work with his colleagues that shows him the spirit of teamwork and camaraderie in the Chubbuck Police Department.
“There are people I know so well here that there are things we don’t even talk about. We just know. Everyone knows their jobs well enough to know how things work. And they also know how others do their jobs individually,” Orr remarks.
And he has seen that the new members of the police force are quick to catch on.
“New people can save my life as much anyone else,” Orr says, adding, “The hierarchy can be detrimental.”
With the great professional atmosphere that Orr describes, it is a completely different story when he leaves the police station and has to deal with suspects.
“The biggest irony is when people blame me for being arrested. I tell them that I’m not the one driving drunk, hitting my wife or carrying pot in my pocket. I’m not breaking the law — I’m just enforcing it,” Orr says.
One part of his job that took him out of the police station and where he didn’t have to deal with suspects was when he got to teach the DARE program, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, for three years.
At Ellis, Tyhee and Chubbuck elementary schools, Orr says he could “see the future of the country and the sparkling eyes of kids.”
In addition to warning kids of drugs, he taught young children about stranger danger, household safety, when to call 911 and other basic safety rules. These are things, Orr has noticed, that children are sometimes more likely to listen to “coming from someone besides Mommy and Daddy.”
One difficult thing stood out to him when teaching DARE at local elementary schools. Orr remembers, “The biggest statement was when I’d come into a classroom, and someone would know me and say, ‘You came to my house and arrested my dad,’ or, ‘You took away my mom.’”
The Chubbuck officer would then ask himself, “How do you reach out this kid and make him trust the police? How do you break this barrier?”
Orr did his best to show these kids that the police are not to be feared.
Looking back, he says that those three years that he visited these schools, 2005 to 2007, have been some of the best times he has spent on the police force so far.
Of course, those DARE kids are in tight competition with the great team Orr has back at the police station.
The due date is April 28th.
The ultrasounds, tests, and other evaluations have been OK.
But my wife is very tired.
Stay tuned to the JHub for more news about Ella (to be).
-- Michael
When Lynn Stowell, a volunteer guide at Saturday’s opening of the new Northwest African American Museum, helped a man find information about his grandfather, the man wept. Such was the very personal response among some of the guests.
Stowell and other volunteers showed visitors, many of them African Americans, how to research their family trees using the equipment and software available in the museum’s Genealogy Research Center.
http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtm...>
ABOVE: Museum curator, Barbara Earl Thomas, with James Kelly, CEO and president of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, at Saturday's event.
“Finally getting access to information about our ancestors is an emotionally-charged thing,” said Andrew Cleveland. “Due to our history, information about our forebears has been difficult if not impossible to find.
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated computers, a digital imaging system and other equipment and software to the center. Local Latter-day Saint family history experts provided training to center personnel.
Some estimates put attendance at the museum opening on Saturday at over 1,000 with over half of those spending time in the genealogy center. Stowell said the seats were occupied and the computers were in use all day.
According to Cynthia Wilson, manager of the Genealogy Research Center, guests were impressed with what they saw. “Most promised us as they were leaving that they would be back,” she said.
This is one of several projects supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its genealogy entity FamilySearch. In 2002, the Church assisted in the creation of a similar family history center in Cincinnati’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
ABOVE: Genealogy Research Center in the Northwest African American Museum.
In 2001, FamilySearch released the Freedman’s Bank records on CD, a unique searchable database documenting several generations of African Americans immediately following the Civil War. Congress chartered the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company in 1865 to benefit former slaves, but it collapsed because of mismanagement and outright fraud. However, the records left behind contain a treasure trove of names, family relationship information and even oral histories for African American family history researchers.
Since that time, a number of other significant resources have been developed. The Church’s online genealogy portal, familysearch.org, contains an African American section. FamilySearch has also published a research guide for African American family history researchers. Over six million searchable records of African Americans as listed in the 1880 U.S. Census have been made available.
In 2006, FamilySearch participated in the Afro American Historical and Genealogical Society’s national conference in Salt Lake City. FamilySearch had previously partnered in the forming of the Utah chapter of the AAHGS.
Family history conventions have been co-sponsored by the Church in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Oakland, Las Vegas, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Miami, Seattle and New Jersey. An African American family history conference is held in Salt Lake City each year.
“This center will mean a great deal to the people in this area,” says Wilson. “It is located in a predominantly African American neighborhood so patrons can get here easily.”
Entrance to the genealogy center is free. In addition to accessing online and CD-based information, patrons can order materials from the Church’s Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
Latter-day Saints place great emphasis on families and family history research.
ABOVE: Center manager, Cynthia Wilson, shows Latter-day Saint leader, Elder R. Bruce Merrell and Gordon and Myrna Conger some of the new facilities. http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtm...>
Topics: Blacks, Mormons, LDS faith, African Americans, Genealogy, history, Utah, idaho, religion
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Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 04:20 AM
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Tuesday, March 18th, at The Continental Bistro, 140 S. Main in Old Town Pocatello.
Time: 11:45 to 1:00 pm
Stephanie with Old Town Pocatello will be presenting for us this week.
If you’re crunched for time there will be a soup and salad bar for $5.50 or you can call your lunch in ahead of time if you like. The phone number for The Bistro is 233-4433.
The sole purpose of this time is to meet with Business Owners, Managers and Leaders to network, pass referrals and have lunch.
There is nothing to join, and no cost other than your lunch and a $1.00 voluntary donation to support our group. Bring a new friend and your lunch could be free!
Remember, everyone who attends is eligible to win a free dinner courtesy of The Continental Bistro.
If you have any questions please call Troy Neu at 234-2679.
Troy Neu
Old Town Embroidery
208-234-2679
208-251-9910
The Idaho Statesman reports that U.S. Senate candidate Rex Rammell says he is leaning toward running as an independent.
On Thursday Rammell told reporter Heath Druzin that he is headed to several Republican events in North Idaho to gauge support before making his decision.
The former Eastern Idaho elk rancher originally planned to run in the Republican primary against Lt. Gov. Jim Risch and seven others for the seat Sen. Larry Craig has said he will leave at the end of his term in January.
Risch has been endorsed by almost every statewide elected Republican official, including Gov. Butch Otter.
Former congressman Larry LaRocco is the only Democrat who has declared candidacy for the seat.
Rammell said that he has "had the feeling for some time that a lot of people are tired of both (parties)."
I have had that same feeling for sometime myself.
-- Michael
Feel the heart: Idaho State basketball coach Joe O'Brien looked happy. He was worn from a battle, yet stood strong. Joe's men had just defeated the fifth- seeded Montana Grizzlies 67- 65 in another thriller between the two teams in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Intel Big Sky Conference Tournament.
I shook hands with Joe and his wife after the press conference in Holt
arena. Their characteristically friendly and engaging manner prompted me to tell them that "my family has been in the Treasure Valley for several months, but I will always be a Bengal, not a Bronco."
Via routes 84 and 86, with Boises State's Bronco Stadium and its smurf-blue astroturf having shrunk out of sight in my rear view mirror, I drove down the road of Bengal spirit -- that special magic that can only be found on a Saturday in Pocatello.
At Reed gym that afternoon the Idaho State women took care of business and defeated Weber State 81-69 to secure the two seed and a first round bye in the Big Sky Conference tournament. On senior day, the Bengals got 32 points and 15 rebounds from Natalie Doma and 17 points from Andrea Lightfoot in their last home game.
Idaho State also got productive minutes from Devin Diehl who scored nine points off the bench. Jenna Brown also scored nine points and passed out five assists. The win put Idaho State at 12-4 in conference play. That is the best conference record for Idaho State in the Jon Newlee era.
Hear the music: I was on my feet clapping even before the game started. Natalie, Andrea, and fellow senior Kaylynn Fager were honored and presented a plaque with their jersey framed in it. During the game, Andrea passed Mandi Carver for second on Idaho State's all-time scoring list leaving behind only Natalie.
Loyal Idaho State Superfan Ross Cunningham got the crowd rolling as the Pep Squad belted out the Bengal fight song. Ross is always one of my favorite parts of each game. I am a big fan of his, and many people feel the same way. Thus, Ross has now created a new entity: Fans of the Superfan. I predict that this phenomenon will multiply, breeding Superfans of the Superfan, and so on.
At the men's game that night, my friend Logan Kinghorn picked a good time to post a season-high 17 points. Logan posted a double-double, and Idaho State had a near perfect second half in coming back from a six-point halftime deficit.
The win marked ISU's first tournament win under Joe O'Brien, and it was the first for the program since defeating Montana 74-73 in Reed Gym in 2004. The Bengals also improved to 5-0 all-time in home conference tournament games.
The aftermath of the big win gave me a chance to catch up with some of my other favorite figures around the orange and black scene. Matt Stucki and his wife were in their usual mode, positive and personable.
One of the Bengals all-time gridiron greats, former defensive standout James Drake came by my spot in the student section. I was glad to hear from James that he is working at Century High School and preparing for graduate studies.
I chatted with Logan's wife and in-laws about a few very important
topics, including what a great asset ISU has in Ross the Loyal Superfan.
I told Logan's family how impressed I am that Logan (like Ross) is so wild on the court and such a gentleman off of it.
ISU couldn't have beaten Montanna without the Logan, who recorded his fourth double- double of the year with 17 points and 10 rebounds, adding an assist and a steal in 29 minutes. The senior "was big. He was really, really big for us," his coach said.
Enjoy the magic: From my seat I could see ISU President Arthur Vailas sitting his wife Laura. Their faces were beamed as the team closed the victory. Laura was on her feet several times, clapping, proud as a mother hen.
This return to the Gate City reminded me that my family has been enjoying the ambiance, glitz, and bling of our current experiences the Boise area.
But we have found something deeper in the home- grown, family-oriented, energetic rhythms of the drumbeats heard around Pocatello- based athletics.
Thank you, Idaho State Bengals, for sharing your spirit once again.
... candidates who do may be sorry:
The energy of this election year has me reflecting on Idaho's deep role in the larger picture.
Interestingly, even our own political pundits sometimes underestimate us:
"In the hoopla surrounding Sen. Barack Obama's visit three days before the Feb. 5 Idaho caucus, I exaggerated the historic nature of his trip. I wrote that Obama was the 'first major presidential candidate to visit Idaho near an election since (Idaho) Sen. Frank Church in 1976," wrote columnist Dan Popkey.
Readers wrote in that Ronald Reagan and Gary Hart also were in Idaho at key moments. Reagan spoke in Idaho Falls Oct. 14, 1980, three weeks before he defeated President Jimmy Carter and helped then-Rep. Steve Symms unseat Church. Reagan won Idaho with 67 percent of the vote, Popkey said.
He added: "Hart, campaigning for the Democratic nomination against Walter Mondale, was in Boise on May 18, 1984. Hart beat Mondale 58 percent to 30 percent in the May 22 Idaho primary, but Mondale won the nomination. In November, Reagan bested Mondale to win a second term."
Idaho remains Obama's best state, even when we consider his string of victories after being here.
Obama won Idaho with 80 percent.
His next best win is the District of Columbia - 75 percent;
followed by:
Washington state and Nebraska - 68 percent;
Georgia and Minnesota - 66 percent;
and his home-state of Illinois - 65 percent.
By the way, where have John McCain and Hillary Clinton been?
-- Michael
Pocatello police used a Taser to help arrest a suicidal man Sunday, the Idaho State Journal reports.
The use of such alternative weapons is in its infancy, but it is a topic which needs to be vastly and deeply explored.
The potential benefits of such weapons is great.
According to Capt. Steve Findley, officers used the device after they were called to a westside residence at about 5 p.m. by a woman who reported her husband was threatening suicide and was slashing himself with a butcher knife. When police arrived, the unidentified man barricaded himself inside his home and refused to talk to the officers. Findley said officers could see wounds on the man's arms and neck. Eventually he opened the door enough to allow officers to fire the Taser.
What indicators exist that there are great potential benefits to Tasers?
One example happened last month. The Idaho Press Tribune reported that a 19-year old Nampa man was shot and killed by Nampa Police after he approached them with what appeared to be a knife, then disobeyed orders to stop. It turns out that the man had a broken piece of glass in his hand. He was a suspect in a domestic violence call made by his girlfriend.
The subject is now under investigation, and as you can imagine, the police aren't saying much, other than to state that when the investigation is complete, all parties will see clearly that the officers acted properly.
One question that immediately comes to mind is: since the officers had time to see the individual coming at them, why wasn't a stun gun, tear gas, spray, mace, or a Taser used?
One can only speculate here, since exact facts are necessary for such an answer. It will be interesting to see what the answer to this question is, when all the details of the completed investigation come out.
Witnesses reported that the man was waving the glass over his head as he approached the officers, and there are varying accounts of the incident through several witnesses.
Boise Police Chief Michael Masterson was asked about the Nampa Police incident in a recent radio interview. As expected, he could not say much with the facts still under investigation. But Masterson mentioned that most people would be surprised about how much training, research, and constant preparation police departments undertake to respond to such situations -- and how much pin-point accuracy is neccessary, and regularly implemented, when cops deal with life threatening crises.
Masterson went on to say that police respond to hundreds such cases every year. Almost all are handled without tragedy. Thus, it is only once in a while when we hear about a rare event such as the police shooting death in Nampa.
In Pocatello, the man was taken to the Portneuf Medical Center where he was treated and moved to the psychiatric unit.
No death in this incident.
While police obviously do their jobs effectively in the overwhelming majority of cases, the Pocatello Police response seems like a better ending to such a story.
It appears that the Tasers worked, so we need to talk more about utilizing the vast benefits while mitigating the dangers of such weapons.
-- Michael
Topics: Tasers, guns, police Idaho, Pocatello, Nampa, weapons, crime, politics, rights
posted by MichaelStrickland on
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at 08:43 AM
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Please forward to any interested organizations:
The Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence and the Idaho Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Project present:
Idaho Summit on Sexual Assault:
Your Role in Prevention and Response
Thursday, April 3, 2008
8:30 – 4:30 Boise Centre on the Grove
National Plenary Speaker: Alan D. Berkowitz Ph.D
Alan D. Berkowitz is a nationally recognized leader, trainer, lecturer, and scholar in the development of rape prevention programs, in fostering men’s responsibility for preventing violence against women, and in creating healthy and just communities and workplaces.He is often a keynote speaker for regional and national meetings and has consulted for the Department of Justice, the Centers for Disease Control and numerous state coalitions against sexual assault and health departments. Dr. Berkowitz has been the recipient of five national awards in recent years for his work in sexual assault prevention. He is well-known for his scholarship and innovative programming and is the founder of The Report on Social Norms.
Who should participate?
Professionals who work with crime victims, law enforcement, civil and criminal attorneys, judiciary, community advocates, victim witness coordinators, educators, SANE/SAFE, medical personnel, first responders, court staff, social services, mental health counselors, faith-based organizations, health care providers, disability advocates, secondary school and university staff, and allied professionals.
Why should you plan to attend?
Learn about sexual assault prevention and systems responses, characteristics of men who sexually assault, and the need for a community-wide comprehensive prevention program at a FREE multidisciplinary training with plenary sessions and skill building workshops. CLE, CEU, and POST CREDITS are pending.
Who are the conveners?
Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence
Idaho Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Project
Idaho Coordinated Response to Domestic & Sexual Violence
Who are the sponsoring agencies?
The Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence - a statewide non-profit organization providing education and support to individuals, programs and organizations dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault. For more information go to www.idvsa.org
The Idaho Teen Dating Violence & Awareness Project - a statewide project of the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence to increase awareness on the prevalence of teen dating violence and to educate teens, parents, and adults on the warning signs and how to
respond. For more information go to www.nomeansknow.com.
Plenary Sessions
Effective Sexual Assault Prevention
What constitutes effective sexual assault prevention? This plenary provides an overview of the state of the art in sexual assault prevention, including a review of different approaches to prevention, pro’s and con’s of separate gender or combined male/female programs, and content areas to be covered in workshops.
Characteristics of Men Who Sexually Assault
Men who assault women are a heterogeneous group, and it is important to understand the different profiles of these men. Implications of these differences are discussed as they pertain to the conduct of investigations, the process of sanctioning, and the design of prevention programs. Developing a Comprehensive Violence Prevention Program PreventionEfforts are often fragmented and conducted in silo’s.
Effective prevention is a community-wide effort that requires collaboration and vision. Characteristics of effective violence prevention programs are reviewed with implications for violence prevention practitioners.
Skill Building Workshops
Morning Workshops
• Social Norms Approach – Alan D. Berkowitz Ph.D Provides an overview of the theory and practice of social norms as it pertains to sexual assault prevention, with guidelines for developing social norms marketing campaigns and case studies.
• Effective Services for Victims of Sexual Violence; Critical Linkage of
Human, Social & Health Care Systems – Karen Neill, Ph.D., R.N., SANE-A, Idaho State University. Discussion of SART response, evidence collection, documentation and effective communication across systems to support evidenced based intervention that results in improved outcomes.
• Teens, Dating Violence & Sexual Assault – Sherry Iverson, RN, St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, Director of Women’s & Children’s Education and Kelly Miller, Legal Director, Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence. Addresses teen dating violence and sexual assault; the prevalence, warning signs, and legal implications.
• Stalking & Sexual Assault – Rebecca Dreke, M.S.S.W., Stalking Resource Center. Explores the connection between stalking and sexual assault, both pre and post assault, and address ways this information can impact our responses to victims.
• Civil Legal Remedies for Victims of Sexual Assault – Catherine Carroll, Legal Director, Washington Sexual Violence Law Center. Addresses considerations in crafting legal remedies for victims of sexual assault. Issue Spotting. Overview of legal remedies available to victims in developing areas of employment, housing, education, victim’s rights, and monetary relief.
Afternoon Workshops
• Ethics and Sexual Assault Response Panel Discussion – Lisa Bostaph, Ph.D., Boise State University Criminal Justice Department. This panel discussion will address ethical challenges that may occur during a multi-disciplinary response to sexual assault cases.
• Sexual Assault & First Responders – Corporal Angela Weekes & Corporal Brandy Sutherland, Nampa Police Department. This course will cover first responder’s responsibilities on scene as well as with the victim. It will cover the use and benefit of a SANE/SART team approach and how that impacts Law Enforcement.
• Men 2.0: A New Masculinity – Jeff Matsushita, Project Director MT2 & Bryan Lyda,
Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence. Reshaping masculinity and preventing men’s violence against women.
• Sexual Assault, Stalking & Technology – Rebecca Dreke, M.S.S.W., Stalking Resource Center. This workshop focuses on how offenders use technologies (e.g. phones, computers, cameras, GPS) to stalk, and will cover preventative measures, safety planning, and legal remedies for victims.
• Sexual Assault in the Workplace – William Tamayo, J.D. Regional Attorney, United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This workshop focuses on sexual assault in the workplace and the legal remedies available under the EEOC.
Logistics
How to register
Log on to www.idvsa.org.
Where to park
There are three parking garages near the Boise Centre on the Grove. A map is on the website. The fee is approximately $12 per day.
Where to stay
A block of rooms are reserved at the Hampton Inn, 496 S. Capitol, Boise, Idaho. Call (208) 331-1900 by March 17th for reservations. Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence membership contact Cindy Cobb at ccobb@idvsa.org for information on accommodations.
Cost
The Idaho Summit on Sexual Assault is FREE.
Cancellation policy
If you have registered and are unable to attend, please contact us by Friday, March 28th so we do not incur costs for your lunch!
Breakfast and lunch
A free continental breakfast and lunch are provided.
Credits
CLE, CEU, and POST credits are pending.
Still have questions or having difficulty registering?
Please call the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual
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