Wal-Mart: Low Prices, High Standards, and a million dollar contribution

If the Human Rights Campaign is complaining about Wal-Mart, then the retail giant must finally be doing something right. After an on-again, off-again relationship with the homosexual lobby, Wal-Mart has decided to set its family-friendly record straight. This summer, after thousands of customer complaints, the company chose not to renew its membership in the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. More recently, executives announced that they won't offer domestic partner benefits to employees or grant special rights to transgenders. As a result, HRC says that the company's rating on its gay-friendly index experienced a record drop--from 65% to 40% in one year.

Last year Wal-Mart:

• Ended corporate contributions to national homosexual activist groups;
• Resisted pressure to treat homosexual partners the same way as married couples for purposes of giving employee benefits;
• Did not censor the word "Christmas" in marketing materials during the Christmas shopping season;
• Supported the Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign by allowing their bell ringers to solicit contributions on Wal-Mart property--and for throwing a $1 million dollar donation in the kettle to kick it off!

The above from FRC.ORG

Nancy Chaney, Naively Cynical, or Cynically Naive

So, is Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney's attempt to impose gun control on Moscow driven by cynical opportunism or naivete?


I did a little investigation and I can confidently report to you that it was illegal to commit murder in Moscow on that sad day last spring when Jason Hamilton went on his rampage. Before taking his own life, Hamilton had allegedly murdered his wife, a Moscow police officer and a church caretaker.
Moscow mayor Nancy Chaney responded as one would predict of a liberal – by advocating gun control. Specifically, she seemed to take note that some of the shots had been fired from the city hall parking lot and therefore concluded that a law forbidding firearms on city property would have mitigated the disaster. Presumably Jason Hamilton would have respected this law and attempted longer and more difficult shots from the street.
Mayor Chaney’s clichéd and insensitive San Francisco liberal-style reaction to this tragedy exposes her as either childishly naive, or cynically opportunistic. After all, addressing violent crime with gun control makes about as much sense as fighting obesity with spoon control. If Nancy Chaney is in fact clever enough to understand that, then she is in fact chillingly cynical. I suspect that she is both.
It takes a special sort of cynicism to exploit politically such a tragedy as was visited on Moscow last May. Surely Nancy Chaney cannot honestly believe that a law such as her proposed gun control ordinance would in any way have altered the events of that terrible night. But political opportunism is so deeply ingrained into the political leftwing that nothing is above politics. They will even turn a solemn memorial into a political rally, as Democrats did when they laid the late Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota to rest in 2002.
But if she is cynical, she is certainly naive as well. Rebuffed in her initial efforts to enact her silly law by an inconvenience known as “state law,” she has cooked up another scheme: Change the law.
Idaho representative Shirley Ringo has allied herself with Chaney and hopes to introduce the legislation when the legislature next convenes, where it will meet a predictable fate. Ringo’s bill will not be voted out of committee, it will be laughed out of committee.
If it were not already fated to fail, Nancy Chaney made matters worse with her new and improved explanation for why such a law is needed. She now argues that debate in city hall will be more free and open if participants can feel confident that they won’t get shot by someone holding an opposing viewpoint. That’s been a real problem in Idaho, hasn’t it?
Such nonsense reveals Chaney’s naive side.
Does Nancy Chaney really believe that one of those knuckle dragging Idaho rednecks with a gun rack in his high-rise four-wheel drive pickup is going to shoot her? If so, then that’s probably another manifestation of the same elitist cultural bigotry that informs her opposition to Wal-Mart, Lowe’s hardware stores, and churches that don’t preach a message consistent with her own belief system.
You can certainly see her point. The parking lots of places like that will fill up with just the sort of people that make a liberal’s skin crawl.
The truth is that if anybody on the Palouse needs to fear retaliation for expressing an unapproved opinion, it would be conservatives on college campuses.
One of the hallmarks of a totalitarian state is that everything is political. So it should surprise no one that the phrase, “the personal is political” would have arisen from the leftwing kookiest fringes. What is sad is that this thinking has made its way into mainstream liberal ideology.
Surely Nancy Chaney knows that her silly law would not have discouraged Jason Hamilton’s rampage. And she knows that nobody refrains from speaking up at city council meetings for fear of getting shot by some guy wearing a red plaid flannel shirt and suspenders. It’s just that gun control is a one of the sacraments in the religion of liberalism. In the Jason Hamilton tragedy, Mayor Chaney saw an opportunity to exploit the city’s sorrow and pass a pointless law that would earn her one of the more cherished merit badges handed out by the high priests of the left.
And as the mood of the voters as expressed in the last election portends ill for her re-election, she’s running out of time to get it done.

Art Bell Listeners Please Read On

I am not the type to believe in conspiracy theories such as 9/11 was an inside job and that Princess Di was murdered or that Mel's Hole really exists out near Ellensburg... Everyone knows Mel's Hole is closer to Cle Elum.

But anyway, I just wanted to point something out. I am not making any claims. I am putting data forth, so you, the reader can make your own inferences.

1) Francis Foucachon has been talked about in a lot of threads on the dnews.com website as well as the subject of many letters to the editor

2) Palouse Country SportsHahn Supply Inc is owned by the Alford Family. (thanks for the clarification by Steve McClure of the Daily News

3) The Daily News, and I would assume dnews.com is owned by the Alford family.

4) "A door in the north part of the building was found unlocked at the time of the fire, Bean said. The door had been locked the night before." -- Dnews.com 11/29/07

5) "[in today's Moscow fire there was] smoke damage to Palouse Country Sports, which shares the building [with Hahn Rentals]"

6) A photo posted in the article about a fire downtown Moscow was attributed to Daniel Foucachon.

Key up the X-Files theme song, played over the top of the Twilight Zone music, played over the top of "Chase" by Giorgio Moroder. (Another Art Bell Reference)

Pullman's three hundred pound sister insists that the skinny sister needs to be on a diet too

Where do these Moscow liberals get the idea that everyone, except themselves, is stupid? It's amazing when they make outlandish, illogical claims and then stand around and expect everyone to ooh and ahh because they care. Not only has Moscow wasted more water than any other Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee member, they have wasted water with gusto. Now that Moscow is finally starting to conserve water, they conveniently forget that Pullman has been saving water all along and has water to burn. Heck, if Pullman actually followed Moscow's example, we would have over a billion gallons of water to waste. Maybe we could transfer that billion gallons of water to Hawkins Companies or perhaps use it to wash away the pollution that Moscow is sending into Whitman County everyday.

From tomorrow's Letters to the Editor in the Lewiston Morning Tribune:

On behalf of the board of directors of the Palouse Water Conservation Network, I'd like to congratulate the Moscow City Council for adopting a revision of the city's water conservation ordinance. This revision establishes a watering season, adjustable yearly depending on precipitation and weather, outside of which most types of irrigation are prohibited. In addition, the ordinance revision prohibits the watering of impervious surfaces (sidewalks, streets, parking lots, etc.)

While these ordinance revisions do not prevent any resident from adequately irrigating the landscaping of their choice, it does attempt to reduce needless and/or wasteful expenditures of water. With this ordinance revision, Moscow has taken the high ground and chosen to lead the way in demonstrating how our shared water resources can be used responsibly and beneficially.

We hope the other pumping entities on the Palouse, particularly the city of Pullman, follow suit. Meanwhile, our thanks go to Aaron Ament, Kit Craine, Tom Lamar, Bill Lambert, Linda Pall, John Weber and Les MacDonald from the city of Moscow for taking proactive steps to move our community toward sustainable use of water.

Bill French
Moscow

Ward 2 City Council Official

Well everyone, it has been quite a ride but I wanted to let the voters know that the official results are in for the Ward 2 Pullman City Council race. Mr. Sorenson has 270 votes, and Nathan Weller has 279 votes. At this point I feel humbled by the show of support from all of the voters, regardless of who they voted for. I also feel very thankful for the help my family and friends have given me. Also, this is official, but I believe that Mr. Sorenson will ask for a recount and if this occurs the Auditor office has said it will happen on the 5th of December and should not take very long. Everything has not quite sunk in yet, and perhaps it won't until the recount is complete, which will be 2 days before my birthday, December 7th (Pearl Harbor Day). Until then...

Queen Chaney: Desperate Despot or Geography Challenged?

Somebody get this idiot a map.

I heard on KQQQ this morning and read the headline in the news that Queen Chaney is still pushing for a handgun ban in Moscow. Even though the Attorney General of Idaho said it was unconstitutional and Chaney is on crack, she is getting Representative Shirley Ringo, not related to the Beatles' Ringo, to push a law in Idaho giving cities the right to ban guns.
Chaney and Ringo, get out a copy of a U.S. map or the local map in the phone book. Look at Moscow. It is located in Idaho, not Washington. I know for some reason Chaney thinks she has power in Washington by her anti-business interference against the Hawkins Corridor Project. Moscow is in Idaho, yes the state line in the map does not appear in real-life but it does exist.
Chaney's gun grabbing bill might hold water here in the People's Republic of Washington and may get the Mao Tse-Tung thumbs up from Commisar Gregoire, but no way in hell will Idaho ever adopt an anti-gun bill like that. Chaney should read up on Idaho and its political climate. Last time I looked, Idaho is the most conservative state in the Union. Chaney's latest anti-gun bid is nothing more than a sign of desperation and loss of face due to the Hawkins Project. Chaney's chances of re-election are comical.

Water, Water, and more Water

Well we sure need water to live. You listen the Enviro-wachoo's it is something that is running out, once it is used up we are done, pack your bags Betsy we are goneers....

The problem is I have not found or seen a "DRAIN" anywhere off the planet earth. We sure don't get any deliveries of water also. The amount that Lord created the earth with is what we get, not a drop more, not drop less.

We have this crazy idea floating around that they want to filter the 'muddy' palouse river and inject that water back into the aquifer. There are a few things we need to do before something so drastic. The stuff that they have been spraying on the roads in the winter just to cut down on dust is not good to drink, or the environment; check the small trees along the roadway as you travel the area roads. It is VERY clear to see on the little trees that someone had started on the hill as you head out for Spokane from Pullman. They had been getting started very nicely the last few years BUT this last winters spray has killed them.

The stuff that the spray on the roads is going into the ground water and some day it will show up in your drinking water so maybe, just MAYBE we need to rethink this one. I know I sure don't want to drink that stuff they spray on the roads. After seeing what it is doing to concrete. Check some of the newer projects along Stadium way like the bus stop just down hill or across the street from the Fine Arts. I would rather have a little dust in the spring than dealing with all of this stuff. Would like to hear what you think of it.

BREAKING NEWS: Schmick tabbed to replace Buri as 9th District representative

I'm glad the commissioners from the six counties in the 9th District voted to uphold the Republican Party's #1 choice. Plus, Joe deserved it. In the last two contested Republican primaries for State Representative, only two people have outpolled Joe: Rep. Steve Hailey and former Rep. David Buri. He was the logical choice.

Joe is a personal friend that I strongly supported in the race last year; a true conservative that will do a great job representing us over in Olympia. I'm very happy for him! Also, congratulations to Michael Echanove. He would have been an equally good choice. With what he brings to the table, I'm sure Michael will serve in higher office eventually.

From the Moscow-Pullman Daily News website:

Commissioners from Whitman, Garfield, Adams, Franklin, Asotin, and Spokane counties on Monday selected Colfax farmer Joe Schmick to fill out the remaining year of David Buri's term as Washington 9th District representative.

Buri resigned from the Legislature earlier this month to become director of government relations at Eastern Washington University. Buri was elected in 2004 and had one year left in his second two-year term.

Schmick, 50, was chosen from a pool of candidates that also included Palouse Mayor Michael Echanove and LaCrosse farmer and teacher Tedd Nealy.

Schmick has been farming in the area for nearly 30 years and operates a vending machine business, in addition to serving on the Washington Farm Bureau Board of Directors.

He unsuccessfully ran in 2006 for the 9th District's seat held by Rep. Steve Hailey.

Bill Doba, A Class Act To The End

As expected, Bill Doba got the boot today. I wish him a good retirement. He was a true gentleman, which distinguished him from the last two coaches we had here.


As one would expect, his goodbye was pure class.

"I've been lucky as hell ... it's been a great ride," Coach Bill Doba said, adding that he was happy to have spent the last 19 years in Pullman helping coach a Pac-10 team.


Following brief remarks by WSU Athletic Director Jim Sterk, Doba thanked the university, his family, the coaching and support staff as well as former university president Lane Rawlins and Sterk. Doba said he was leaving with "no animosity, no regrets".


"I hope to be remembered a player's coach," Doba said.

Doba Out?

I am disappointed to say the gentleman, Bill Doba, head football coach of WSU is done, according to many news reports I have seen. So far nothing official. But you usually don't get something like this incorrect too often.

I would like to say to Doba, thank you for the respectful football team you have had and being a leader of character and sportsmanship. I hope the news is incorrect and we can see some of your recruits come in and play your system.

If the news is true, here is what I would like to happen:
Price brought back for his offense mindedness and recruiting.
Gesser in a QB coach? Doba back as DC? Those things might not be out of the realm of possibility...

He's back... are you?!

We can reuse the campaign that UI used for Dennis.

Donate To Hillary

We're facing a crisis here. Hillary might not win the Democratic nomination.

And believe me, we want her to represent the Democrats.
See here and here.

Ron Paul Supporters' Interview on The PES

Monday 11/26 on The PES we will be interviewing some of the supporters of Ron Paul. There is a group on campus that will be representing their views on Ron Paul. If I have time there are a couple crime and punnishment articles that I would like to cover as well.

Tune in at 12 o'clock noon on 90.7FM or on the web at www.kzuu.org

If you would like to call in with questions the number is 509-335-2207

Then and Now

April writes:

One thing that has continued to bother me about PARD is that most/all are WSU professors. PARD is willfully oblivious to any facts, studies, opinions, votes, laws, etc., that are contradictory to their position. If they can so easily disregard truth in this matter, I question their truthfulness in other matters, such as their teaching and research. They are so rigid in their beliefs, and will tell outright lies to convince others that they are in the right, what sort of dishonest manipulations are they engaging in their academics?

Indeed. Former PARD Media Coordinator and WSU Professor of Chinese Chris Lupke wrote in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News back on June 16, 2006:

An example of a business that most Pullman shoppers would welcome and could attract other shoppers while creating viable jobs is Costco.

And then Lupke wrote on November 23, 2007:

One of the nicest things about Pullman is that it preserves the small-town appeal lost to most of America these days. It's a place where the person at the bank who decides whether I get a loan, the person who cuts my hair, who bags my groceries, who sold me my truck, and who sold me my home all know me by my first name.

Yep, nothing quite says "small town appeal" like a "gigantic" 140,000 square foot big-box warehouse club with a 700-car parking lot, eh Chris? And the only way Costco employees know your name is because you have to present a membership card to get in.

Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart

The Idiots Took the Bait

I had prayed that someone from PARD would be foolish enough to publicly attack Radio Shack owner Dale Hammerly by name, in addition to the cowardly, anonymous attacks they have made on the Daily News website. Now everyone can see how they really feel about "local business." It's all about Wal-Mart hatred, not "Mom and Pop." I can only imagine the torrent of anti-PARD letters this is going to set off.

And I should have known it would be the supremely arrogant and ever loquacious Chris Lupke. Nice move, Poindexter. But you might as well enjoy it while it lasts. And I looked, and beheld a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Jack McCullough, and Attorneys Fees followed with him. From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Market has spoken with its silence

One of the nicest things about Pullman is that it preserves the small-town appeal lost to most of America these days. It's a place where the person at the bank who decides whether I get a loan, the person who cuts my hair, who bags my groceries, who sold me my truck, and who sold me my home all know me by my first name.

It came as an unpleasant surprise, therefore, that Dale Hammerly, in whose RadioShack I've made many purchases (and hope to continue to), would write so churlish a letter (Opinion, Nov. 16), wondering aloud why the "silent majority" in Pullman were not outraged over the prolonged wait for a gigantic Wal-Mart Supercenter to grace our horizon on Bishop Boulevard.

I believe I can answer his question regarding this deafening silence: Most Pullmanites have little appetite for such a superfluous addition to the retail landscape, and many recognize Wal-Mart's real and well-documented harms to communities like ours.

Leaving aside the litany of self-contradictions pervading Hammerly's letter (that Wal-Mart is free-market when it predicates its reputed cheap prices on the backs of a work force in part reliant on government-subsidized health insurance, that it will increase local tax revenues when we taxpayers are footing the bill for this subsidy, that the free market somehow magically granted China the MFN status necessary for Wal-Mart to establish its sweatshops abroad, and that big-box retail duplicated in Pullman would form a regional magnet), I was most taken aback by Hammerly's ungracious call for those who recognize Wal-Mart's inhumanity to "pack up and ship out." That could be bad for business, for if all who disdain Wal-Mart were to "ship out" of Pullman there would scarcely be enough of us left to shop at your store.

Christopher Lupke, Pullman

Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart

Queen Calls Special Session to Save Her Throne

Last year, a King County Superior Court judge struck down I-747 as being unconstitutional. I-747 was the ballot measure passed on 2001 that limited property tax increases to 1% a year without voter approval. One of the plaintiffs in that lawsuit was Whitman County.

Legal technicalities notwithstanding, it is clear what the intent of 58% of Washington voters was when they passed I-747. The Democratic supermajority in Olympia was urged last session to take action and restore the 1% property cap via legislation. The Rats punted, saying the Washington Supreme Court would reverse the decision. The Supreme Court, by a 5-4 margin, upheld the lower court decision last month. Oops. Bad timing for Queen Christine and the Dems, what with Dino Rossi throwing his hat into the 2008 gubernatorial race and recent polls showing the election a virtual dead heat. The recent passage of I-960 by voters shows, that despite numerous obituaries being written by the left, the taxpayer revolt in Washington is alive and well. Allowing a big tax increase to go forward is political hemlock for the Rats. And they only have themselves to blame. Earlier this year, they passed the largest spending increase in Washington history.

Now Queen Christine has called a special session of the legislature to restore the 1% property tax cap. As usual, she is demonstrating the cowardly, waffling, blow with the wind, lead from behind approach to governing she showed with the Alaskan Way Viaduct. As the Seattle Times story reported:

"I'm glad she has called the special session because we need to protect the will of the voters," Rossi said in a statement. "But I have a feeling she only took this step out of political expediency, not concern for the taxpayers."

But who cares as long as the 1% property tax cap gets restored.

Predictably, the "progressive" moonbats are howling, for example, here, here, and here.

And from the "strange political bedfellows" department, so are the Whitman County Commissioners. According to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News website:

Whitman County Commissioner Greg Partch said the 1 percent cap makes it difficult for smaller taxing districts to operate and the move to reinstate the initiative is based on politics alone. For Whitman County, 1 percent only amounts to $37,000 a year in tax revenue.

Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson and City Supervisor John Sherman have applauded the overturn of I-747 and the Daily News editors opined last week that:

Bottom line, the control of property taxes was returned to the local governments where it belongs - but not before some budgetary belt-tightening.

Capping tax increases made it difficult to provide some services.

If Pullman or Colfax needs a 3-percent increase in property taxes to provide the services local residents demand, then those city councils should have the power to do so.

Local voters are an excellent barometer - through the ballot box - of how well those elected officials budget tax dollars. That power should not be in the hands of west side voters who think they can dictate - through the initiative process - how much tax is too much for people in Whitman County.

No one likes to raise taxes and responsible local government is no exception. But the need to increase taxes is necessary from time to time and is best done at the local level by those who know just how precious each penny is.

I sympathize with our local governments. But the reforms in Olympia need to be regulatory, not to the tax code. What would help Pullman and Whitman County more are drastic changes to the State Environmental Policy Act and the Department of Ecology. Wal-Mart would be in Pullman now, contributing over a million dollars a year to the tax base if not for the long, drawn out SEPA appeal process. The Pullman City Council must take some of the blame for this by mandating that SEPA appeals go through the superior court, which is why we have this latest delay of over a year in the appellate court. In most Washington towns, SEPA appeals are heard by the city council. In Whitman County, the Hawkins Companies development in the Pullman-Moscow corridor would be contributing $3 million plus to the tax coffers if not for the meddling by the Deprtment of Ecology. And let's not even get started on Ecology's business-killing stormwater requirements.

All this environmentalist nitwittery from Olympia cannot, and should not, be balanced on the backs of home owners. Housing in Whitman County is already among the least affordable in the state. Can you imagine how much more unaffordable housing would be with annual 4% property tax increases?

And its not just Whitman County. A recent WSU Center for Real Estate Research study concluded that the Growth Management Act has increased the cost of homes in Washington. The voters of this state spoke in 2001. Enough is enough. If cities and counties have a hard time making ends meet, then its time to clear away the dead wood of bureaucratic regulations, not reach deeper into taxpayer's wallets.

Not With a Bang, But a Whimper

The long legal battle over the Chelan Wal-Mart Supercenter is over. According to the Wenatchee World, the Chelan City Council decided to drop their appeal of a judge's decision last December declaring the building permit for Wal-Mart invalid. The store was allowed to open as scheduled in January and it has remained open since then.

The city adjusted the zoning laws over the summer and the Washington State Board of Pharmacy has now given permission to open its phramacy, permission that had previously been denied because of the zoning issue. The appeal, as Chelan Mayor Jay Witherbee said, "is truly moot."

So what did the small collection of well-heeled out-of-town hippies and elitists known as the Defenders of Small Town Chelan gain from this expensive and bitterly divisive episode? No wrecking ball. No $5 million extortion money from Wal-Mart. Just triumphal coverage on Crazy Al Norman's and all the other Wal-Mart haters websites. And as Laurel Jamtgard, spokesperson for Defenders of Small Town Chelan stated, "We think the debate was actually a healthy thing."

Right. We had to destroy the village in order to save it.

Meanwhile, I wonder when PARD will update their website with the fact that Wal-Mart Supercenter in Chelan has not only survived, but has not "destroyed" the town as predicted.

Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart

"Pullman City Council candidate Sorensen may seek recount; Incumbent trails challenger by 10 votes after latest count"

From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Pullman City Councilman Al Sorensen plans to request a manual recount if the final Ward 2 election results remain as close as they were last week.

Challenger Nathan Weller is 10 votes ahead of Sorensen according to the count Wednesday. Weller has received 273 votes to Sorensen's 263. Prior to Wednesday's count, Weller led by seven votes.

Ballots won't be certified until Nov. 27, and Sorensen said he'll ask for a recount if the final tally doesn't end in his favor.

"The numbers are so close that I feel that I need to do it - just to make sure," he said. "I just want to make sure that the machines did their job. I think I need to do this just so later down the line I don't look back and say, 'I wish I had done that.' "

Weller was unfazed by news of Sorensen's intent to request a recount.

"It's within his rights to do it. By all means, if he feels strongly enough, it's something he can do if he wants," he said.

Whitman County Elections Supervisor Debbie Hooper said there will be a mandatory machine recount if the final results are within one half of 1 percent of each other - a difference of about three votes in this case. A mandatory manual recount will be conduced if the results are within one quarter of one percent.

Hooper said any candidate or member of the voting public can request a recount at their own expense - $.25 per ballot.

The manual recount process is time-consuming, Hooper said. First, elections staff must sort through about 10,000 Whitman County ballots and pull out the 526 sent in from voters in Pullman's Ward 2. Two pairs of staff members will separate the ballots by precinct and look over them individually. Each ballot will be counted twice to ensure accuracy.

"Hopefully they match. If they don't match, they'll be recounted," Hooper said.

In order to start the process, Sorensen must ask for a recount in a formal letter submitted to the auditor's office within three days of the election certification, Hooper said. Certified letters announcing the date of the recount will be sent to Sorensen, Weller and leaders of the local political parties.

Two people representing Sorensen and Weller may be present for the recount.

Sorensen said things could turn around between now and Nov. 27, as there are about 80 ballots from across the county still to be counted.

"It's not over until it's over. Shoot, you never know what could happen with the 80 or so votes that they have over there. I'm pretty sure there's at least one vote over there for me," he said. "But my fellow supporters are encouraging me to order a recount. It'll let everyone know it's accurate. I just want to verify everything."

Weller said if the roles were reversed, he's not sure that he'd request a recount.

"At this point, I can't say. I'm not even thinking about a recount," he said. "Personally, I'm just waiting for the official results ... If Al wins - before the recount or after the recount - I would support him 100 percent."

Revenge of the Nerds

The Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development's position paper of March 2005 ranked Radio Shack as one of the local businesses that would see a "High Impact" from Wal-Mart's entry into the Pullman market.

In December of last year, PARDner Cynthia Hosick wrote "We are customers of..Radio Shack...We support Pullman businesses."

And who can forget PARD's "Buy Local" campaign to support Pullman businesses?

Of course, the eggheaded sociology and English professors of PARD know as much about running a business as they do about fornicating. They never actually bothered consulting with the owner of Radio Shack to see if he felt his store was at risk. In a letter to the editor of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News published Friday, Dale Hammerly, the owner of the Pullman Radio Shack said he welcomed Wal-Mart. In fact, Hammerly recently purchased the Radio Shack in La Grande, OR and moved it on to the La Grande Wal-Mart parking lot.

Now that Hammerly has stepped out of line and publicly supported the Great Satan, the "defenders of Pullman business" are rising up like the crazed jihadis they are with stones in their hands and curses on their lips.

Hammerly asked why the "silent majority will not stand up and shout that the protestors should pack up and ship out." If Dale has an online subscription to the Daily News and reads the comments posted there about his letter, he'll have the answer to that question.

The hissing PARD cockroaches have scurried out from their dung piles to engage in cowardly character assassination, libeling and defaming Hammerly's business and reputation, as well as spewing their usual tripe about Target, Republicans, and their worthless petition.

For example:

And radioshack?!! Such good service from the snot nose highschool kids who think they know tech (but don't) that are too busy to give real help to a customer because they're busy playing with the toys in the shop. Do people really still shop at RS?

It seems like Hammerly is one of the "flies" that is begging to get stuck to the "flypaper" that Wal-Mart is, small businesses and franchise owners who first think that Wal-Mart will miraculously improve their business but turn out to be a big sucking sound in the community, taking small businesses and decent jobs elsewhere away.

So, Hammerly, would you kindly mind paying my portion of the insurance costs for all the Walmart employees who are being screwed out of it by their employer -- one of the richest corporations in the world? I don't think ordinary citizens who hate what Walmart has done to our country should have to foot the bill.

I noticed Hammerly mentions "foot traffic" in his letter. I wonder if he thinks people will be walking across the great horizon of asphalt from Walmart to his store. No. They will be driving (mostly PAST his store, not TO it).

Hey Hammerly, is Radio Shack still selling the TRS-80? That's about the last time I was in one of your shops.

I am intrigued by the contradictions inherent in Mr. Hammerly's letter to the editor. On the one hand, he seems to endorse "free enterprise." On the other, he endorses Wal-Mart, a corporation that better than almost any has availed itself of the government welfare system by subsidizing the health benefits of its employees through state-based health programs for the working poor.

I guess Hammerly has never tried to get an untrained Wal-Mart employee making minimum wage help trying to figure out a product in their store. Such "service" is hardly "beyond reproach."

I am rather concerned that this businessman would take such an impertinent attititude toward the residents of Pullman, demanding that those who disagree with his attitude toward Walmart should "pack up and get out." Dale: why don't you take a page from your own book?

I can't believe the angry tone of Dale Hammerly. I guess he wasn't around when all the protests against Wally World occurred. Get with it, man.

So, this is how you "clearly win the PR battle?" Is this the "civil discourse" the Pullman League of Women Voters want to impose on new businesses desiring to move into Pullman?

The "silent majority" remain silent because they do not wish to be subjected to such public scorn and ridicule. It is the heckler's veto that the leftist scumbags at WSU love to use to suppress thoughtcrimes.

The majority of business owners in Pullman who privately support Wal-Mart cannot do so publicly. In a small college town, they can ill afford boycotts of their stores.

That is why I admire Dale Hammerly. He had the cojones to lay it all on the line for what he believes is right. Meanwhile, the PARDners continue to turn off even more Pullman residents with their ad hominem attacks on a hard-working local entrepreneur.

From Friday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Waiting for Wal-Mart

I have been watching the nondevelopment of the Wal-Mart in Pullman for the past few years. And for the life of me, I fail to understand why the silent majority will not stand up and shout that the protestors should pack up and ship out.

As a business owner in Pullman I would very much like to see this store come in ASAP. Why you ask? If we had a store such as this imagine the amount of revenue it would generate in sales tax dollars for our government needs, the jobs it would create for the students, and help by retaining our local residents with their shopping needs. And overall, I, too, would benefit from the foot traffic that this store would create.

Ask me and every other retailer where would be the best place to put a store, and I would say next to Wal-Mart. Look at most major shopping areas - when a Wal-Mart comes in who follows right behind?

I recently purchased the RadioShack in La Grande, Ore., Where did I move it? Right on the Wal-Mart parking lot. And let me say it was the best move I could have ever done.

As for those who go out of business when a Wal-Mart comes in. I would say maybe those businesses might still be there if they would be willing to step up and give their customers the service that goes beyond reproach. This is how you compete in our free-enterprise system.

So, Wal-Mart, come on in. I'm waiting and will endorse you.

Dale Hammerly, CEO DLH Electronics, Pullman RadioShack Dealer

Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart

Guns, The Bedrock Of Civilization

Robert Heinlein said as much, though in far fewer words that: "An armed society is a polite society." The Munchkin Wrangler has elaborated nicely on Heinlein with an essay that everybody should read.



In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.

When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gangbanger, and a single gay guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.

As the legendary Arizona lawman had engraved on his Colt .45,

"Be afraid of no man,
No matter what size.
When trouble threatens, call on me,
For I shall equalize."

Celebrate National Ammo Day, November 19th.

Chuck Norris approved

How it's gonna be.




Can I be Chuck Norris approved like Mike?

Chuck Norris endorses Mike Huckabee for President.

BREAKING NEWS: Date Set for Wal-Mart Appeal Hearing

PARDS's appeal of the Whitman County Superior Court's upholding of a hearing examiner's decision to allow a Wal-Mart Supercenter project to proceed in Pullman will be heard December 19 in the Washington State District III Court of Appeals in Spokane. Let us all pray that this date sticks and there is no more legal chicanery from PARD.

Hopefully this long, divisive, and costly circus of snobbery and moonbattery is coming to its sordid close.

Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart

BREAKING NEWS: Pullman Fires Related To Fred Russell Case?

I just got word that KHQ 6 out of Spokane is reporting that one of the witnesses who testified against Fred Russell in his recent vehicular manslaughter trial in Kelso lived in either the 9-unit aprtment building or the duplex behind Dissmores that was destroyed by fire yesterday morning. It is being speculated that this witness was deliberately targeted and that the other fires set on Pioneer Hill and Pullman Honda were diversions.

It is not beyond the realm of possibility. Back in December 2001, a friend of Fred Russell's who had been drinking with him the night of the accident was charged with felony harassment, felony witness intimidation and a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a police officer afer pressuring the bartender at My Office tavern who served Russell to lie. This person later pled guilty to witness tampering and some other unrelated charges forgery and extortion and received a sentence of 34 months in prison. Former Whitman County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Ron Shirley called this man "a crime wave all by himself." The My Office bartender testified in Russell's trial last month.

I can find no story confirming this on the KHQ website, so this is still very tentative. Stay tuned for more details as they emerge.

UDPATE: Thanks to April, I watched the KHQ story here (it's titled "Displaced fire victims will stay at family restaurant.") KHQ DOES NOT actually make any connection between the fires and the Russell case. The reporter just points out the coincidence that Vinh Tran, owner of Old Peking Restuarant in Moscow testified at Russell's trial last month. Tran was involved in the 2001 accident where Russell killed three WSU students and injured several others. Tran rear-ended Russell's Chevy Blazer after it had struck the students' car. Tran is not the driver Russell's defense attorneys tried to blame for the accident. That was Robert Hart.

The Motor City Madman Likes Mike

Rocker, hunter, and Second Amendment activist Ted Nugent told nationally syndicated radio talk show host Glenn Beck last month:

GLENN: Let me ask you, have you made a decision on if you had a gun to your head today -- and I just want to make it very clear, you don't have one. But if you had a gun to your head today, who would you vote for?

NUGENT: Do I really have to answer that question?

GLENN: Yeah.

NUGENT: It's tough. My favorite man or individual running for the presidency of the United States of America right now today, since you're holding that gun to my head.

GLENN: Yeah.

NUGENT: Is a man who covers all the bases for we the people, the U.S. constitution, the Bill of Rights, decency and that's Mike Huckabee.

GLENN: Mike Huckabee, I would have thought you were a Ron Paul guy.

NUGENT: Ron's a good man, Fred Thompson's a good man, I like Mitt Romney and Mr. Giuliani on many levels. But no one in my estimation today -- and I'm not voting today.

GLENN: No, no, if you had a gun to my head. We're the same way. I would never draw a gun on you because I'd lose.

NUGENT: But Mike Huckabee, I'm telling you I've spent time with the man, I've watched how he conducts his personal life, his family life as governor of the State of Arkansas.

National Ammo Day

Monday is National Ammo Day.
Don't forget to stock up.


And with this serial arsonist asshole out there, make a special point of buying hollow points. With the city government strapped for cash, you could do your part by sparing the district attorney's office the price of a trial.

"Moscow: Using the environment for cover"

Another scathing editorial on Moscow's appeal of the Hawkins water rights transfers, this time from Gordon Forgey in yesterday's Whitman County Gazette:

Over the years Moscow, Idaho, has developed into the predominant retailing area of the Palouse. It has come to that position by relentlessly expanding and building, often without much thought to the future.

Only one thing has limited Moscow’s expansion to the west. That was the state line. It must have been frustrating that its previously unimpeded growth would be hampered by such an artificial barrier. Then, to make matters worse, people across that state line started talking about commercial development of their own, specifically Whitman County and the Hawkins development on the Pullman/Moscow Corridor.

Short of trying to invade the troublesome territory, Moscow had to come up with a way to stop those interlopers from stealing its retail thunder. Suddenly, Moscow embarked upon an environmental campaign, claiming that the Palouse would be desecrated by the fledgling developments in the other state.

Saving the untouched portions of the Palouse from economic development has become the new mantra of the new Moscow. Under the guise of this new concern for all that is green, Moscow has appealed recently approved water right transfers which would make the new Whitman County developments possible.

The environment and the protection of natural resources is good cover for Moscow, but the real motivation for all this is that the city is fearful of losing some of its business to Whitman County.

This is a legitimate fear, but the entire Palouse cannot be held captive because Moscow wants it both ways—its own growth while stifling the growth of others.

In the matter of shared resources, it is vital that neighboring governments and communities cooperate in the protection of those resources. Few would question the strictness and protectiveness of development and building codes in Whitman County. In fact, Moscow could learn from them.

The specious arguments fostered by city officials in Moscow do no good. They do not help the environment. They do not help controlled and responsible growth. They do not help in developing responsible partnerships across the state line.

And, sadly, they cannot help the sprawl and the history of its own environmental abuses that is Moscow’s true legacy to the Palouse.

Quote of the Day

[Financial consultant for D.A. Davidson and Co., Jeremy] Nesset asked how Keim would lead the chamber if a business such as Wal-Mart wanted to come in and chamber membership was split in opinion.

- "Keim outlines direction for Moscow Chamber of Commerce," Moscow-Pullman Daily News, November 16, 2007

NEWSFLASH: WAL-MART HAS BEEN IN MOSCOW FOR 15 YEARS!!!

The real question should have been, "What would the chamber's reaction be if a chamber member such as Wal-Mart, or Tri-State, or James Toyota wanted to relocate and/or expand its current facilities?" Oh brother.

No wonder new Moscow Chamber of Commerce executive director Darrell Keim was quoted as "It's been an interesting year at the chamber." It's like being in charge of the East Berlin Chamber of Commerce.

"Weller leads by 10 votes in tight Pullman City Council race; Votes will be certified Nov. 27; possibility of recount remains"

From yesterday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Pullman City Council incumbent Al Sorensen lost additional ground to challenger Nathan Weller, according to the latest vote count by Whitman County election officials.

Following Wednesday's count, Weller holds a 10-vote lead over Sorensen in the race for the Ward 2 position on the Pullman City Council. Weller has received 273 votes while Sorensen is at 263. Prior to Wednesday's count, Weller's lead was seven votes.

"The count is still close, but it doesn't appear there are a whole lot of ballots out there," Sorensen said. "The odds of having too many of those 100 from my ward are pretty small."

Sorensen said he is not conceding the race yet, but he had anticipated the latest count would be a strong indicator of the final results.

"We knew that after the numbers came out today, they were going to be pretty solid one way or the other," he said.

Sorensen, 45, did not rule out the possibility of requesting a recount of the election. If the difference in the race is .5 percent or less, there will be an automatic recount. Otherwise, Sorensen can request a recount at his own expense.

"I am not saying I am doing it or not, I am just checking into it," Sorensen said. "If we feel that is something that might change the count, we might do it."

Weller, 25, said he is not yet celebrating, considering the number of uncounted ballots and the possibility of a recount.

"Its not official yet; of course my feelings are that I am very thankful to all of the voters of Ward 2," Weller said. "However, things may change and if Al Sorensen was elected I would support him 100 percent."

"Young Pullman upstart has narrowly ousted incumbent; Final count and election certification will be Nov. 27"

From yesterday's Lewiston Tribune:

Barring an unlikely reversal from a recount or a slew of late-arriving ballots, 25-year-old Nathan Weller looks like he will unseat Pullman Ward 2 City Councilor Al Sorensen.

Weller added 14 votes to his total after the latest mail-in ballots were counted Wednesday. Sorensen, 46, gained 11 votes, leaving him 10 votes behind his young challenger, according to numbers released by the Whitman County Auditor's Office.

Weller now has 273 votes, compared to Sorensen's 263. The next count will be Nov. 27, when the election results will be certified, said county elections supervisor Debbie Hooper.

The percentage margin between the two candidates is now 1.86 percent, well above the 0.5 percent margin required for a mandatory recount. A total of 536 Ward 2 ballots have now been counted, approximately 26 percent of the ward's active registered voters, according to the auditor's office.

County-wide turnout stood at 54 percent, after 383 ballots were added Wednesday. There are about 100 ballots left to be counted, according to the county's Web site. Hooper said she didn't know how many might be from Ward 2, or how many more might arrive in the mail before Nov. 27. Ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 6, Election Day, to be counted.

"It's not over until they certify the election," Sorensen said. "There are still votes out there. It's still pretty close."

Sorensen said he will investigate the procedures to request a manual recount, but hasn't yet decided if he will ask for one if the results don't change.

According to state election law, a citizen who requests a recount must pay a per-ballot charge for a recount if the results don't change. If the results are reversed after a recount, the citizen or group making the request isn't charged.

When asked about a potential recount, Weller said the new numbers put the onus on Sorensen.

"That falls within the realm of what Al wants to do," said Weller, an employee at Schweitzer Engineering in Pullman.

He added that he was thankful to all the Ward 2 residents who voted, no matter which candidate they chose. But he wasn't ready to declare victory.

"Things can always change," Weller said. "Until we have that (result) officially, it's really difficult for me to say that I have won. It's so, so close."

He did say he was satisfied with the race he ran with help from his family and friends. "We ran a good campaign, and we achieved exactly what we wanted to."

Weller said he wasn't sure if Sorensen underestimated his challenge, but noted that Sorensen is a busy man with an insurance company to run, and might not have had as much time to campaign as he did.

And while the result, while unofficial, may be a surprise to some Pullman residents, Weller sounded confident about his prospects for a four-year term on the council.

"I've always been ready to serve," he said. "My whole life, I've wanted to serve."

Oh Darn! I Missed The Free Delousing!

No wait! I can get deloused every Friday.

For a good laugh, visit the Olympia Peace and Justice Community Calendar. If you want to know what our "progressive" friends are up to, have a look.


Hmmm. It appears that a few regressives have been having fun with the pinkos. I'm sure that one of those jackasses will sober up long enough to realize that they really didn't miss a smegma breakfast while sleeping it off and the page will be taken down, or at least moderated. However, should that happen, somebody had the good sense to preserve a screen shot for our entertainment.

Can I Cast An Absentee Ballot In Moscow?

Nancy Chaney gets on my nerves in any number of ways. But what really burns me is that she's trying to dictate development policy to Whitman County, but Whitman County residents cannot vote her out.


When I went over my ballot the other day, considering whom and what I would be voting for and against, I couldn’t help but notice that one name was missing – Nancy Chaney’s. I turned my ballot over several times searching. Surely this must be a mistake. But no, her name was not to be found anywhere.
How could that be? I had just been reading in my local paper about how Ms. Chaney was working to micromanage economic development policy in Whitman County, which is another way of saying that she is doing her level best to frustrate economic development in Whitman County. Surely as a resident of Whitman County, I should have the opportunity to vote someone out of office whose economic policies I find offensive. But Ms. Chaney does not have to stand for election in Whitman County. So if I can’t vote against her, then why should she have the authority to intervene in the economic affairs of Pullman, Washington, Whitman County and the state of Washington?
Nancy Chaney and her now depleted gang of henchmen have made it their business to micromanage and massage economic development in Moscow and the Palouse at large. As far as I can tell, their goal was to achieve a harmonic convergence of health food stores, head shops, locally owned bookstores and restaurants, handicraft peddlers, and just enough high paying, high tech engineering firms to keep the aforementioned hippie commune afloat. And oh, yeah, it all works best with a steady infusion of public money channeled through higher education. Ideally, all commerce would be conducted at the Farmer’s Market.
What Nancy Chaney and her allied ex-councilmen and women sought was nothing less than to remove the market from the marketplace.
The Nancy Chaney economic model suffered from a number of fatal flaws, the most glaring of which has been the limitation of her power to the Moscow city limits. When a proposed Wal-Mart superstore was judged a poor fit for the cultural facade that the Chaney bloc envisioned for their little utopia, Wal-Mart was told to take it elsewhere – which it did, just outside the city limits in Latah County. Wal-Mart’s new store will be casting its shadow on the Moscow city limits, but it won’t be paying any taxes into the treasury. And it will draw consumers away from other Moscow businesses.
Although frustrated in her efforts to dictate Latah County policy, she has seen fit to interfere in the affairs of a state, county and a city, where no one has the power to vote her out of office. Hawkins, a Boise-based developer, is planning to build a 700,000 square foot shopping mall in Whitman County, just across the state line from Moscow. Again, a big retailer’s building will cast shadows on the Moscow city limits. Since the mall will be closer to Moscow than Pullman, its location plainly indicates the developer’s desire to attract Moscow shoppers while avoiding Moscow’s notoriously anti-business climate.
Closing the deal depends upon the successful transfer of groundwater rights to Hawkins and the company purchased and applied to transfer three such water rights. Two of the three were approved by the Washington State Department of Ecology. The third, and largest transfer, was denied. This was a surface water diversion involving the South Fork of the Palouse River. It was denied because the DOE deemed that Hawkins’ plan failed to adequately mitigate effects on Paradise Creek.
For much of the summer and early fall, Paradise Creek is little more than treated effluent from Moscow’s sewage treatment plant. To call that Paradise, and demand that Hawkins remediate its effects on that ditch before it can build, strikes this observer as ironic. But even as Hawkins appealed that one silly denial, Nancy Chaney appealed the water rights transfers that the Washington Department of Ecology did approve.
“It has nothing to do with economic development and it has everything to do with water,” she said. Somehow, if the water were needed within Moscow city limits to fill hooka pipes, she would find that a thoroughly appropriate use of the groundwater.
I would like to propose a deal with Queen Nancy. She can stick her nose into Whitman County’s business when Whitman County voters are allowed to vote in Moscow elections. As poorly as her anti-business block fared recently, she might take the deal.

Queen Christine's First Term Report Card

As graded by Dino Rossi:

At the end of each school term, my kids come home with their report cards ready for me and my wife to see just how they're progressing in each of their school subjects. These report cards got me thinking... what if we were to grade Christine Gregoire on what she's done since taking office?

In looking at the issues, I think you'll agree... she'd receive straight Fs for her failed policies. Christine Gregoire's policies have produced an alarming string of failures- and the effects are felt by all Washingtonians. These failures include:

Failure to get serious about providing property tax relief to hard-working homeowners.

Failure to address traffic congestion - something the 9.5 cent gas tax increase was supposed to improve.

Failure to practice fiscal discipline - spending has increased 32% ($8.2 billion) under Gregoire!

Failure to cut taxes- in fact Gregoire has raised taxes by $500 million (including a death tax).

Failure to reform our educational system. Washington's kids aren't properly prepared to compete in a competitive global economy.

Failure to keep our neighborhoods safe. Our state has granted early releases to more than 3,000 dangerous felons per year since Gregoire took office.

The bottom line is that Christine Gregoire has failed to set the right priorities for Washingtonians and their families and we need new leadership in Olympia. She has broken too many campaign promises and I'm here to say enough is enough!

Will you join my campaign today in sending a message to the entrenched liberal special interests and Christine Gregoire by making an immediate donation of $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or more? I am leading a campaign for change that says, "We can definitely do better!" I need your support today to communicate with voters across our state in our campaign for change.

Washingtonians statewide are clearly excited about our campaign. In just a few short weeks, we've raised well over a half a million dollars. This money is a tremendous start, but is small compared to the millions of dollars the entrenched special interest groups will spend to keep Gregoire and her failed policies in office.

That's why it is so important that we keep our fundraising momentum going. And this is why it is so important you follow this link today to make a contribution showing your support for change!

Like any parent, if my kids came home with straight Fs on their report card, my wife and I would tell them a big change is needed. Christine Gregoire's failures are no different. Change in our state is needed and that's why I'm running for governor. Please follow this link to make a donation of whatever you can afford today to help me spread this message.

Thank you,

Dino Rossi

P.S. Washingtonians deserve more than a governor who has failed them- we deserve better and I hope you will join me today in saying, we can definitely do better! Our campaign for change has been met with tremendous support- and I'm asking you to help us continue this momentum by making a contribution of $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or more right away by following this link. Thanks for your support!

Mike Huckabee in Bellevue

Mike Huckabee was over in Bellevue today for a fundriasing luncheon and a tour of Microsoft. He'll attended the King County Republican Party Fall Dinner tonight. I wish I could have been there.

The Seattle Times has the story. Huckabee picked up an endorsement from one of Washington's evangelical leaders, Rev. Joe Fuiten, today as well.

Meanwhile, polls show the Governor's support in Iowa to be at 24%, just 2% behind front-runner Mitt Romney

Pullman's Morning of Flames

If you have a story about today's fires in Pullman, please post in the comments below. I'm sure Scotty was in the thick of things. And it was April's car that was set on fire behind Pullman Honda.

Coverage from:

KLEW TV
Northwest Cable News
KREM
KHQ
KXLY
Seattle Times

And from today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Arson suspected in string of Pullman fires; Blazes destroy nine-unit apartment complex, duplex, detached garage and several vehicles

Police and fire officials say arson is suspected in five fires that occurred early this morning in Pullman.

"These are all suspicious, and I would consider them all related," said Mike Heston, operations officer with the Pullman Fire Department.

Fire crews first responded at 4:31 a.m. to a fire in the 500 block of Southeast Jackson Street, where a detached garage was engulfed in flames. The garage and the two cars that were inside it are considered a total loss, Fire Chief Pat Wilkins said.

While on Jackson Street, crews responded to another garage fire, which was contained to a cabinet and did little damage, Wilkins said.

At 5:13 a.m., crews were called to an apartment fire at 129 NW True St. The nine-unit complex was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived, Heston said. Crews from Whitman County Rural Fire District 12, Colfax and Moscow arrived to help fight the fires. Pullman police officers provided security while firefighters doused the flames, which spread to a neighboring duplex at 133 NW True St., and ignited several vehicles.

A resident in the nine-unit complex was trapped inside the burning structure and "ran and bailed out" of a top-floor window, Heston said. The man landed on top of a 15-foot retaining wall. He suffered a singed airway due to the hot gasses and was covered in cuts from the glass. The man was in stable condition and airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment, Wilkins said.

While at the True Street fires, crews were called to a fire on Mackenzie Street where a vehicle - located in a parking lot behind Pullman Honda - was engulfed in flames.Pullman Police Cmdr. Chris Tennant said he has received a report of a white male with brown hair wearing a red jacket "looking suspicious" in the area around the time of the vehicle fire.

"It's a pretty (vague) description," he said.

As of 9 a.m. today, crews were working to clean up the scenes and awaiting the arrival of investigators from the Washington Region 8 Arson Task Force who will help determine the cause of the fires. Heston said that since no evidence - such as gas cans - have been found at the fire scenes, he was reluctant to call the fires arson-caused.

"I'll let the investigators determine that," he said.

Heston said his crews also are prepared to fight more fires today, if necessary. The Pullman Fire Department has investigated arson in the past, but "nothing to this magnitude," he said.

Boy Scouts - Too Pro-War

If you bought Boy Scout popcorn this year, then you had the option of donating your purchase to troops serving overseas. Our liberal friends find this offensive.

CAMBRIDGE - Was it just too pro-war for Cambridge? A troop of Boy Scouts is wondering why their donation boxes meant for troops in Iraq were thrown out of polling stations last week.

Election officials ordered the removal of donation boxes set up by a troop of Cambridge Boy Scouts of America during last Tuesday’s municipal election.

The boxes were set up inside the 33 polling stations around the city to collect donations for soldiers serving overseas in the war in Iraq.

Marsha Weinerman, executive director of the city’s Election Commission, said the boxes were removed after a resident complained to commission workers about their implied “pro-war” message.

“We contacted the law department, and it was determined that the best course of action would be to remove the boxes,” Weinerman said.

In a column that appears in this week’s Chronicle, Troop leader Jamisean Patterson said the commission twice granted the scouts permission to set up the boxes at the polling stations.

“We have never seen anything like this decision in Cambridge before,” Patterson wrote. The city is changing for the worse if decisions like this are allowed to be made.”

I suppose that I am not just a warmonger, but a racist too. I bought a couple boxes of Boy Scout popcorn for the troops.

BREAKING NEWS: Fires All Over Pullman

The phone started ringing early this morning with news from Lauri Sue Torkelson of four fires all over Pullman in the early morning hours. One of those fires was behind Pullman Honda on South Grand Ave. I just got off the phone with April Coggins, and she and Russ are fine, thank God. Their SUV was set on fire in their driveway, apparently by an arsonist as firefighters found a rag stuffed into the gas tank. I would speculate that the other three fires reported were set by the same person or persons.

According to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News website

Pullman fire crews are on the scene of an apartment house fire on True Street, the third fire reported early this morning.

According to initial reports, fire crews were dispatched to two garages on Pioneer Street that were reportedly burning about 4:30 a.m. today. A short time later, crews were dispatched to the apartment house fire near the intersection of True and Nye streets.

Fire crews from Pullman and Moscow remain on the scene.

I just heard on KQQQ that the apartment fire on True behind Dissmores destroyed 9 units and injured one person.

UPDATE: KQQQ is reporting that the Pullman Fire Department is officially calling this arson. All fires are out at the moment. A state arson investigation team is heading to town from Walla Walla. Pullman police are securing the scenes and WSU police are taking over patrolling the town. Evan Ellis just stated that firefighters from Whitman County Fire District 12 saved April and Russ's business by putting out the car fire quickly. Pullman police are high alert looking for suspicious activity.

Ho Ho Ho! Are You Offended? Then Grow UP!

Shopping mall Santas in Australia are being told not to say "Ho, Ho, Ho." Someone might be offended.

Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.

One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.

It's a good thing I'm not a Santa, I'm afraid that I would probably tell these PC goons to kiss my @$$!

From Pullman City Councilman Al Sorensen

Tough to swallow the vote count to this point. There is an obvious choice to who is a better candidate for Ward 2 Pullman City Council. I hope that the residents of Ward 2 that voted for Nathan realize what they have done. Time will tell!

A1

Dork-Mart

The two Wal-Mart hating doofuses featured in the Penn & Teller: Bullshit! episode , Tarraccas Obremski and Chanelle St. Pierre, gave an interview a couple of years ago to Something Cool News of Canada (Canadians never miss a chance to laugh at us rubes south of the border.)

Here's my favorite quote:

Actually, no Wal-Mart officials have contacted us to the best of my knowledge. HEL-MART is a small fish compared to the big problems they actually have to deal with.

Of course they haven't contacted you, moron. The gang in Bentonville are too busy laughing their asses off. Bigoted, ignorant hippie freaks like you pretty much guarantee that no halfway normal person is ever going to hop on the wacky Anti-Wal-Mart Express.

By the way, Tarraccas will design your website for only $12.00 an hour. The average wage for regular, full-time hourly Wal-Mart associates in Washington is $11.39 per hour...

Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart

April's Favorite PARD Picture

April, you had to know I still had this one.

The moonbat with the duct taped mouth is Alicia "Al" Borm. That picture was actually in a Daily News story about PARD's "protest" before the Pullman City Council on March 1, 2005, not on the PARD website. Borm later wrote a letter to the editor stating that Wal-Mart was bad because *gasp* it donated more to Republican candidates. After graduating from WSU, Borm has gone on to the world of........um, (semi-)professional football. She is an offensive/defensive lineman (linewoman?) for the Seattle Majestics of the Independent Women's Football League.

To Borm's right is Tina Vona-Pergola (Greg Hooks is over her left shoulder), PARD's first "media coordinator" who kept a scrapbook of every news article, editorial, and letter to the editor about the Pullman Wal-Mart. At that same meeting, Vona-Pergola implored the council to "Use the Force" to stop Wal-Mart. Did she think that was the Jedi Council or the City Council?



Just for Scotty. Angry professors with posters:



And there was certainly plenty of duct tape to go around for young and old alike. Here we see PARDner Janet Maguire "gagged:"


Needless to say, Borm and Vona-Pergola have been gone from Pullman for a long time, as are many of the original PARDners.

Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart

Are Democrats Suffering O. J. Envy?

Okay, we all know how unpopular George W. Bush is. We also know that the Democrats running Congress are even less highly thought of. But, who would have guessed that the Democrats are less popular that O.J. Simpson.

We have a president with a near record-low job performance rating – 24 percent. (The record lows were Harry Truman after he fired Douglas MacArthur, and Richard Nixon the day before he resigned. Both were at 23 percent. )


But the Democrats who run Congress have an 11 percent job approval rating. Let’s just note that in my polling in 1995, O.J. Simpson was at 16 percent.

Hat tip: The Blogfather

Press One For "English?" No Way Jose

Couldn't have said it better myself, which is why I posted it as a video.

BREAKING NEWS: Nathan Weller Wins Pullman City Council Seat

For now anyway. There is bound to be a recount with the margin so close. The election is scheduled to be certified November 27.

AL SORENSEN - 263 Votes (48.7%)

NATHAN WELLER - 273 Votes (50.56%)

UDPATE ON RECOUNTS: Washington state law requires a recount when the difference is less than 2,000 votes and less than one half of one percent using vote tallying systems. When the difference is less than 150 votes and less than one fourth of 1 percent, the race will be counted by hand. In this race, the percentage difference is 1.86%, well above the recount minimums, even through the vote count difference is just 10 votes.

Any candidate can request a recount in any race. The request for a recount must be done in writing and filed with the appropriate filing officer within three business days after the certification of an election. The request must state whether the recount will be performed by hand or by the vote tally system and whether all precincts or selected precincts are to be recounted.

A deposit is required at the time of the request of 15 cents per ballot to be recounted by vote tally system or 25 cents per ballot for a hand recount. Each County Canvassing Board determines the actual cost of the recount. If the actual cost is higher, the requester must pay the difference. If the cost is lower, the difference is refunded to the requester. If the recount changes who wins the election, the entire deposit is refunded.

If Just One Person Finds Christmas Offensive....

As we transition into the holiday season, it's worth visiting Christmas Past and what the teacher's unions think about it.

Ike Maness, Hillsboro Education Association President, asked the Board in April to reconsider the practice of naming the two week break in December and January Christmas Break. He believed it was exclusionary and insulting to non-Christian students. The Board agreed at their June 8, 2004, work session to discuss the matter at the June 22 meeting.

Mr. Mike Balanesi believes it is an insult to the majority of patrons to considering changing the name of the two week break from Christmas Break to Winter Break. He was disappointed Ike Maness did not attend the meeting to hear the Board discussion because he initially brought this concern to the Board.

Mr. Dale Harris encouraged the Board to change the name of the two-week break to Winter Break to show residents of the District they are all important and preferential consideration will not be given to one group.

Director Kathy Huntington also was disappointed that Ike Maness was not at the meeting because she wanted to address his comment that if the practice of naming the break Christmas Break offends even one student, it should be changed. She believes some students may be offended regardless of the name of the break, but favors calling it Holiday Break to encompass all people. Further, she does not believe the timing of this request was accidental, but meant to coincide with a Board election year.

Just so you know, Christmas survived. Let's hope the union got a lump of coal in its stocking

"Their own little pathetic White Trash world"

The blog "Alan Gregory's Conservation News" linked to an op-ed piece attacking Idaho Gov. Otter's proposal to reinstate public hunting of gray wolves to reduce the wolf population that Chuck "Mr. Civil Discourse" Pezeshki posted on Ted Williams Blog at Fly Rod and Reel Online in February. The same column also appeared in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

Chuck dropped by Alan Gregory's blog and left some very illuminating comments.

Al Gore may have invented the Internet, but the always modest Pezeshki claims his book "Wild to the Last," published by WSU Press, led to President Clinton's Roadless Initiative:

Hi Alan,

We pretty much stopped them in their tracks. That book and the events in it were the lead-in to Clinton’s Roadless Initiative. The landslides in Idaho, and the associated pix, were the belly-punch in the stomach that the USFS got that led to the roadbuilding moratorium, which then led to Clinton’s rulemaking.

Of course we didn’t know it at the time. We were just hauling ourselves out of bed every day, determined to fuck with the machine.

And so we did!

Best,

Chuck

Yeah!!!! Stick it to the man, Chuck!!!! You pathetic Abbie Hoffman wannabe.

So how does Chuckie regard Idaho (and likely the rest of us great unwashed):

The point still stands– the Idaho State Legislature and the Governor operate as if they’re in their own little pathetic White Trash world.

Wal-Mart Hatred is Bulls#!t

Iconoclastic magicians/comedians Penn & Teller have a weekly Showtime series titled "Bullshit!," where they debunk pseudoscience, superstition, political correctness, popular fads and other misconceptions. Past episodes have tackled gun control, illegal immigration, the Bible, animal rights, alien abduction, environmentalism, etc.

There was an episode last March where Penn & Teller took on Wal-Mart haters. I haven't seen the whole show but now I really want to. The clip above had me laughing out loud. That loser couple definitely reminds me of a certain couple of PARDners...

My only question is, where in the heck is Cinnabar, WA? There is no such place.

CORRECTION: April found a CINEBAR, Washington, population 517, located halfway between Onalaska and Morton on the west side of the mountains. The closest Wal-Mart is 21.5 miles away in Chehalis.

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Yes, There Will Be a Wal-Mart in Pullman *UPDATED*

The following comment was just made to this post from January 2006. For some arcane reason, Google has that come up first when you search for "Wal-Mart" and "Pullman."

So, three years later... is Wal-mart opening a store because I have been waiting a while.

Unisex

Haven't we all?

As of now, we are waiting for a hearing date to be set by the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division III, in Spokane for the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development's frivilous, delaying tactic appeal.

Once the hearing is over, it could take two to three months for the decision to be handed down and for the building permits to be issued before ground can be broken. Construction of the store itself will take approximately 15 months. So it will be Summer 2009 at the earliest before we can start shopping at our own Wal-Mart.

If they lose at the appellate level, PARD has vowed to go the Washington Supreme Court and beyond. However, it is very unlikely that the Supreme Court would hear any such appeal. The upcoming hearing is likely the last stop in the long sordid chain of PARD appeals.

And Wal-Mart is not about to pull out. The Palouse is a market they want to penetrate. Where else would they go? The Hawkins Companies development in the corridor? No way, not with all the issues surrounding water that project is facing currently. Moscow? That concept is probably back on the table now that the City Council makeup has changed, but there still remain formidable regulatory obstacles (rezone, conditional use permit, etc.)

What can you do in the meantime? Write a letter to the editor of the Daily Evergreen or Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Don't write about PARD. Those jihadis are in it until the bitter end. There is no convincing them to quit now.

No, write to express your support of the Wal-Mart project, the millions in tax revenue the city is losing out on, and how that every day that goes by without ground being broken only encourages more opposition to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart does keep tabs on what is being said locally.

We as a community need to do everything we can to encourage Wal-Mart to get tough with PARD. Forget the stupid appeal. File for a building permit NOW and force PARD and their union lawyers to run to the Appeals Court and get an injunction. Then, Wal-Mart could ask for an appeal bond. The members of PARD would be out hundreds of thousands of dollars if they stop construction and lose the appeal. Look at Chelan. What's the worst that could happen? As long as judges in Washington are elected, there isn't one who is going to order a $20 million building that has already been constructed to be torn down and throw 400 people out of a job. In addition, let's urge Wal-Mart to ask for attorney's fees after the appeal is decided in Wal-Mart's favor. Let's see if Wal-Mart can get a lien on a few professors' houses in Pullman. The message has to be sent that it will be costly to engage in pointless delaying tactics against Wal-Mart. Otherwise, Wal-Mart will face the same scenario again in town after town after town.

UPDATE: April, as usual, provides some excellent source material.

There was a land use decision today in the Court of Appeals Division III, State of Washington. A "grassroots" neighborhood group like PARD was suing a developer and Spokane County over a hearing examiner's decision. They lost, and now they have to pay attorney's fees:

F. Attorney Fees

The applicant requests attorneys fees on appeal pursuant to RCW 4.84.370. The prevailing party on appeal of a land use decision is entitled to its attorneys fees if it also prevailed before the agency and in the superior court.

RCW 4.84.370(1); Baker v. Tri-Mountain Res., Inc., 94 Wn. App. 849, 854, 973P.2d 1078 (1999). The statute states in pertinent part:

Appeal of land use decisions--Fees and costs. (1) . . .
[R]easonable attorneys' fees and costs shall be awarded to the prevailing party or substantially prevailing party on appeal before the court of appeals . . . of a decision by a county . . . to issue, condition, or deny a development permit . . . . The court shall award and determine the amount of reasonable attorneys' fees and costs under this section if:
(a) The prevailing party on appeal was the prevailing or substantially prevailing party before the county . . .; and
(b) The prevailing party on appeal was the prevailing party or substantially prevailing party in all prior judicial proceedings.

RCW 4.84.370(1).

Here, the applicant prevailed before the county and in the superior court.

Therefore, subject to the provisions of RAP 18.1, we award the applicant reasonable attorneys fees on appeal.

CONCLUSION

Under the relevant LUPA standards, PNA has not met its burden of proving it is entitled to relief from the hearing examiner's decision. Accordingly, we affirm, and award attorneys fees to the applicant.

Wal-Mart and the City of Pullman prevailed at both the hearing examiner and superior court level. Doesn't look good for the PARDners. They better start holding some "fair trade" craft sales and raise some money. I wonder if their union handlers warned them that attorney fees were a strong possibility when they launched this appeal?

As far as this being right from the Wal-Mart hater playbook, check out what the Service Employees International Union's Wal-Mart Watch website advises:

Appealing a Pro-Wal-Mart Rezoning

If you can appeal a rezoning, or a special permit decision in your state—do it. It will allow you to gain half a year to a year’s worth of delay—during which time, land deal can fall apart of expire, Wal-Mart can move on, etc. Delay always works to your benefit as a citizen’s group.

Quod erat demonstrandum.

Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart

Indoctrinate U Trailer

At least this is still up on YouTube. Watch it quickly before it gets removed like the WSU College Republicans video was taken off YouTube for a month or so last year.

Higher Education - East German Style

Indoctrinate U has had to take down their web page due to threats from taxpayer funded universities.

Indoctrinate U collected examples of ideological indoctrination from universities nationwide and produced a DVD by that name.

So much for universities serving as incubators of free thought.

Chinese Submarine sneaks into Navy excercise.

This is a picture of a Song class submarine, the same one that popped up during a U.S. Navy exercise with the Kitty Hawk Battle Group.


I heard this on the radio and it is messed up in my opinion. We know the Chinese are rapidly building up a "Blue Water" fleet. They are acquiring subs and sub technology from Russia. They are also buying old Russian Carriers and building two carriers from scratch.
The question is, when are we going to start building more subs or upgrading old ones? I know the life of a sub is around 20 years. About the life of their reactor(s).
We know China is a growing threat, what are we going to do about it? Maybe we should change our naval doctrine and build more subs.
Anyone on the blog who was in the Navy has any comments?

"I've pretty much lost sympathy for most of the working people on the Palouse"

For those of you who doubt that professors are elitist snobs, I submit as Exhibit A the arrogant, bitter, socialistic rantings of Chuck "Mr. Civil Discourse" Pezeshki. If you don't have access to the online version of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Chuckie is posting comments on Dnews.com bitching about the Saturday article that reported poor ol' impoverished WSU profs only make on average $92,000 a year.

Pezeshki's comments are some of the most amusing pieces of left-wing intelligentsia fluffery I've read yet and pull back the curtain on how our faculty libs really feel about the issues. His comments demonstrate quite well why we have no reason to ever fear the campus moonbats getting into political power locally.

One thing that really has to change if the relationship between the towns and the universities is to improve is that the towns need to stop HATING the professors that have chosen to come here for their rank and salary. These professors drive the quality of life in our cities, and their taxes pay for many things that people with lower salaries cannot. The universities also profoundly boost the average income in the area.

Mind you, Chuck's happy with his salary. He's just pissed off there's not more genuflecting to our Ph.D. betters like him. And he wonders why people "hate" professors? Chuck forgets one very important point: IT IS THE "FILTHY WORKING CLASS" HE DESPISES SO MUCH THAT PAYS HIS DAMN SALARY AND FOR ALL OF HIS TRIPS TO LONDON, VIENNA, ET. AL. WITH THEIR TAXES! YOU DON'T LIKE SUCKING OFF THE GOVERNMENT TEAT? THEN GO GET A JOB IN THE REAL WORLD WHERE YOU HAVE TO MAKE A PROFIT AND PRODUCE RESULTS, RATHER THAN FLINGING DISDAIN FOR THOSE WITH NO LETTERS AFTER THEIR NAME LIKE YOU!!

Sorry, A G. You get no sympathy from me-- and I've gotten to the point where I've pretty much lost sympathy for most of the working people on the Palouse as well.

If you poll most of the professors on campus, they are for higher taxes, which would predominantly affect the rich. Most of the professors are for socialized medicine, which would profoundly help the working poor and lower middle class in the area. Most professors would be for some form of low-rent, subsidized housing in the area. The one thing that the professors are mostly against is sprawl, and loss of community character, because that's the one draw we have going here.

But it's the working classes that are convinced that these things are the enemy. So be it.

I agree that people ought to be appreciative of the good fortune they have. But it's that doggone MARKET I keep hearing about from the lower-middle class that votes for Republicans that's supposed to raise them up and bring us down. It just doesn't seem to be working that way, though.

I've never seen a more dysfunctional, irrational culture in a 1st World country than what's on the Palouse. Keep voting against your interests, and alienating your intellectual and real allies. It's really worked great so far, hasn't it? Your children are being sent to war, your paycheck is dropping, and I can tell you from where the currency rate sits, the bottom is about to drop out from underneath the dollar, making those 'Guaranteed Low Walmart Prices' a thing of sunny memory.

I'm not happy about any of this. And having run for office to try to stop this, I've put my money where my mouth is. But it's exhausting, personally, the level of acrimony from the community. Myself, as well as others-- the ones that would really be interested in sharing community leadership, are really at the point of almost checking out.

Just remember, when the Gods want to punish you, they grant you your wishes.

Best,

Chuck

Are the arrogant, know-it-all, meddling, elitist, communist professors really going to check out of the Palouse? From your lips to God's ears, Chuck.