"County won't join city's culture war"

Speaking of Moscow, PARD, and new business, Michael Costello summed it all up in Saturday's Lewiston Tribune:

The genius of competing jurisdictions worked its magic again this week. After the city of Moscow marched in lockstep to the doctrine of elitism and banned Wal-Mart, Latah County exercised good sense and rejected a similar ordinance, thereby leaving the way open for economic growth and a more vital retail environment at the expense of its snobbish neighbor.

And as a result, shoppers from Moscow and the surrounding environs will spend their dollars outside the city limits and fatten the county's tax coffers instead of the city's. An island of cultural protectionism, Moscow will find itself eroded by the waves of economic freedom lapping at its shores.

When Wal-Mart indicated its intention to build one of its big-box, supercenter stores in Moscow, the graying hippies who steer Moscow's culture and politics grabbed their pitchforks and torches, and adorned in their finest Birkenstocks and tie-dyed T-shirts, marched to the castle in protest. That stupid smiley face of their youth was no longer welcome, as it had now been enlisted as a soldier of the forces of darkness.

And let's not delude ourselves. This is about culture. These label-conscious herbal tea sippers who lift their cup with an extended pinky and fill their refrigerator with organic tofu purchased at the Co-op sniff indignantly at the coffee-guzzling chili-cheese dog aficionados who comparison shop and are not ashamed to stand in line outside Wal-Mart's doors before 5 a.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving to get the best deal. The elitists are proud of their earth-tone hand-stitched organic cotton shirts and look down their noses at polyester versions sewn together in China.

Outside of these pecksniffian elitist cliques, parents would be mortified if their child teased a playmate because his parents purchased clothes that did not have the right designer labels. However, former Democratic vice presidential candidate and aspiring president John Edwards boasted recently that his 6-year-old son had ridiculed a classmate for coming to school wearing shoes purchased at Wal-Mart. The more common among us would scold our children for exhibiting such snobbery.

I come from rather humble roots and even so, there were families with even less. I shudder to think of what the consequences would have been had my parents learned that I had ridiculed a schoolmate for wearing cheaper clothes than I. Among the anti-Wal-Mart elite however, it is a matter of pride and a sign of good upbringing and probably superior genetics when their children behave so abominably.

In Pullman, the local anti-Wal-Mart snobs call themselves the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development (PARD). PARD fears that the new Wal-Mart Supercenter planned for Pullman will attract "undesirable social elements" to Pullman.

Undoubtedly, I am a part of that undesirable social element as I have been known to order merlot with dinner as well as shop for low prices at Wal-Mart.

Fortunately, jurisdictional borders exact consequences for this sort of silliness. If a city,such as Moscow embarks on this sort of exhibitionist snobbery by banning big box discount retailers, that store will probably erect its building just across the line where the snobs' authority ends.

Chicago learned this recently. Chicago's aldermen forbade Wal-Mart from doing business there, only to see a Wal-Mart go up literally within spitting distance of the city limits, in Evergreen Park. When the store was ready to open and advertised for 325 jobs, it received over 25,000 applications. And 90 percent of those applicants listed addresses in Chicago, where the city's maters and paters decreed that such a store was beneath them.

Moscow will also see retailers on its western border too. Right on the Washington state line a new mall, seven times the size of the Palouse Mall, will be built and will draw customers and their money out of Moscow.

And so Moscow will realize that snobbery has a price. And in the not-too-distant future, Moscow's electorate will grow weary of paying that price and will replace the current leadership with new blood who learned lessons from the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart

"Chilly climate for commerce?"

From Saturday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Perception that Moscow doesn’t welcome new business could be true, depending on who you ask

Moscow extended a warm welcome to Mike Nelsen when he opened St. John Implement & Hardware on West A Street in 1994.

Nelsen started to detect a change in the climate six or seven years ago.

“There was no particular reason; the weather patterns didn’t change,” he said.

Someone told him St. John Hardware wasn’t the kind of business they envisioned in the downtown area.

“I’ve been involved in the city of Moscow forever; did I do something they didn’t like?” said Nelsen, who was recently elected president of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce. “It broke my heart.”

With the denial of a rezone that would have brought a Wal-Mart Supercenter to Moscow and the institution of the Large Retail Establishment Ordinance — aka the big-box ordinance — in February, some people say there is a perception Moscow isn’t welcome to new business, or is too selective on what it allows.

Some are concerned that Moscow will lose its status as “retail base of the Palouse” to Whitman County, while others say they are just trying to protect the Moscow they know and love.

Nelsen said the cost of housing is so high it keeps some businesses from wanting to locate in Moscow. Only five of his business’ 31 employees live in Moscow.

Skyrocketing property taxes also are an issue, he said, and Moscow needs to actively recruit new businesses to increase its tax base.

Moscow Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Paul Kimmell said businesses in Moscow pay four times their fair share of taxes.

“We’ve been aggressive at building homes, but not as aggressive as building business,” he said.

Idaho is considered a business-friendly state, but Moscow isn’t keeping with the status quo, Kimmell said.

“I’ve always had a healthy skepticism about any new ordinance and question whether this will really be a benefit,” said Kimmell, who also serves as a Latah County commissioner.

County commissioners recently decided against enacting the city’s big-box ordinance in the Moscow area of impact just outside city limits.

Kimmell said Moscow has a creative and engaged community that participates in the political process, but he doesn’t think the voices of business are always heard.

With Hawkins Companies’ proposed development looming across the state line in Whitman County, Kimmell said Moscow residents should be concerned.

“We need to look at what we are doing wrong not to attract business,” he said.

He said there has been a lot of talk about attracting high-tech business to Moscow, but some people are selective about the kind of businesses they welcome.

Nelsen said to have high-tech businesses, support businesses such as plumbing, welding and car-parts stores are necessary too.

Pat Garrett, owner of Moscow and Pullman Building Supply stores, said Moscow can't afford to be selective.

Garrett is building a new store next to the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter site in Pullman. Wal-Mart considered building a super center in Moscow as well, but decided against it after city officials voted down a rezone that would have allowed the company to move forward with its plans.

"Keeping the super Wal-Mart from coming in seems pretty anti-business," Garrett said. "Pullman is very pro-growth right now; they are trying to catch up and be a little more self-sufficient."

Jim Demeerleer, owner of Furniture Center, said the big-box ordinance already is having detrimental effects on Moscow.

"Moscow sent out a message to the business world that if there is any intent in the area for big-box stores, we don't want that, and consequently those larger stores will look elsewhere," he said.

Demeerleer said the word is out that Whitman County is willing to accept new businesses.

“There is not a huge influx of businesses trying to come to Moscow,” he said. “Businesses are going out of business; if we discourage business such as Moscow has done, people will look in different directions for growth.”

Demeerleer said it’s not too late for Moscow to retract the big-box ordinance.

But Moscow City Councilman Bob Stout said the "anti-business" attitude is more perception than fact.

"Some people have this mentality that you have to be pro-business or you die," he said. "As a new City Council, we're looking at how we can serve everybody in the community, not just business owners or people that want to make money with dealings of the city."

Stout said there isn't any one thing the council has done that is anti-business, but he has heard that some view the Large Retail Establishment Ordinance and the city's living-wage ordinance as such.

"Big-box stores are a way to diversify, but we have to protect Moscow in the process, not just worry about large corporations coming to Moscow," he said.

Stout said when people say anti-business, they mean "big business" as opposed to small, local businesses.

"Small, local business we've supported in every way," he said. "People saying we are anti-business are keying on one large retail incident; large corporations coming to our city has drastic impacts on our city."

Jill Bielenberg, manager of The Breakfast Club in downtown Moscow, said Moscow has given a warm reception to current and future businesses.

“We have a great camaraderie with other businesses,” she said. “Moscow is definitely welcoming to new business.”

She said if a business comes in with the attitude and service that would benefit the community, other businesses extend their support.

“We hand out business cards and numbers when a new business comes in,” she said.

Marty Cramer, owner of Cramer’s Home Furnishings, which opened this year in Moscow, said he had a relatively positive experience moving into the east side of town.

“This is our sixth store that we opened,” he said. “In comparison with other towns, Moscow is probably easier.

“The community in general has been very accepting of us; the store is doing wonderful.”

He said rumors of an “anti-business” mentality have been present in every community in which he’s opened stores.

“I haven’t heard a discouraging word in Moscow,” he said. “It seems like one of those things where the people who are complaining are heard the loudest.”

Community Development Director Joel Plaskon said the majority of development applications for businesses wanting to come to Moscow get approved, but the city's decision in January to break the development process into separate hearings may be perceived as anti-business because it decreases predictability and increases the time it takes to move into the city.

Plaskon said the Large Retail Establishment Ordinance protects existing businesses from the adverse impact a big-box store might have on the community.

The ordinance was pushed through quickly, he said, and the amendments being considered should make Moscow appear more business friendly.

The effort to streamline the development process, along with proposed changes to the subdivision and planned unit development code that are intended to add more room for public input, also should make the city seem more friendly to business, Plaskon said.

Kimmell believes more public input in the comprehensive plan rewrite and other processes could make a difference.

“There is the opportunity to include the business community’s voices and create an atmosphere of acceptance and accommodation,” he said. “Perception often becomes reality, and we need to work to dispel that perspective.”

Of course Stout and Company want to tell everyone "just go back to sleep, everything is alright." Moscow IS business-unfriendly. And PARD wants this for Pullman? No thanks. Pullman has an opportunity to grow now because Moscow has dropped the ball.

Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart

"So what will happen?"

This letter appeared in Monday's Lewiston Tribune:

Re: "WSU professor may face reprimand" [article, Dec. 10].

Washington State University President [Lane] Rawlins tries to convince the reader that he is responding to the incident where a professor (John Streamas) used a vulgar racial term during a political demonstration on Nov. 2. Rawlins said: (1) Streamas is likely (emphasis added) to get a reprimand. Is he getting a reprimand or not? And (2) "His (Streamas') comments were totally inappropriate and I think he knows that." If Streamas thinks his comments were inappropriate, he has not said that publicly.

To summarize, the major questions remain: Will Streamas apologize for his statements, and will there be any consequences for a faculty member who calls a student a white (expletive)?

WSU's attempt to obfuscate the entire situation is further supported by the fact that the Rawlins interview appeared late Friday night, after print media had gone to press.

Sid Houpt

Pullman

So what will happen? Nothing, of course. Conservatives don't riot or protest.

So I Go to Florida, and a Hurricane Hits Pullman

Better hope I don't head to San Francisco anytime soon! The town might be levelled by an earthquake! Nothing like coming home from a vacation and seeing a big piece of your house laying in the yard.

My family and I just returned from a week in the Sunshine State where my wife received a doctoral degree from the University of Florida. Before and after the graduation ceremonies, we went to Universal Studios Orlando, Walt Disney World, the Kennedy Space Center and Sea World and had a great time.

So, let's see what did I miss while I was among the palm trees, ample retail, 60 degree warmer temperatures, and one extra hour of daylight?

I guess we all now know why L'Affaire Sh!^bag was neatly flushed and sanitized for your protection. If Professor John ExStreamas had been sh!^canned (as anyone that had used a non-white racial epithet surely would have been), flocks of righteously indignant (and ignorant) moonbats would have descended on Lane Rawlins' office, like last year after Robbie Cowgill was exonerated. Since such a demonstration probably wasn't listed on the brochure for WSU's first African-American president, Elson Floyd, PR won out over justice and the stench coming from French Ad grows yet stronger

I see Jim "Uncle Buck" Krueger, in addition to being the world's leading expert in deer testicular shrinkage, now fancies himself a traffic engineer. I loved Krueger's letter. Each new letter from a PARDner continues to illustrate the sophist croner they have painted themselves into. For example, is Krueger against ANY further growth on Bishop (the logical conclusion) or is twice as much square footage than Wal-Mart okay as long as it is not Wal-Mart (as implied by Citizen Hosick)? What a quandary! Suppose Costco and Target, two PARD endorsed stores, were to announce plans to build on Bishop Blvd. with more combined square footage than Wal-Mart and even worse traffic. The PARDners are trying to count how many angels can fit on the head of a needle.

The Hawkins Companies retail development in the Pullman/Moscow Corridor received (yet another) approval from the county. The countdown to the Moscow City Council's inevitable appeal is on.

I'll have more later. As you might guess, I'm a bit tired from the long journey home.

WSU Presidential Search

This editorial appeared today in the Daily News. It was written by Doug Bauer for the editorial board.

The search for Washington State University’s new president couldn’t have been more secretive if the CIA had conducted it.

Elson S. Floyd was named successor to retiring WSU President V. Lane Rawlins on Wednesday, ending a hiring process that omitted any form of interaction from
anyone outside the search committee and the Board of Regents.

That's not exactly what we'd expect from a public institution that trumpets
its "face to face" qualities.

WSU has effectively removed any second-guessing in regard to Floyd's hiring,
if only because the public wasn't made aware of who the second and third - or any
other -choices were.

In effect, Floyd's appointment seemed more like a coronation.

That's not to say he wasn't the best candidate for the job. The point is, the majority of WSU's student population and the general public never had a chance
to determine who the best candidate was.

Instead, the decision was made behind closed doors by a group largely
composed of people who represent neither the general student population nor the
public - the ones will foot the bill for Floyd's $600,000-a-year salary in one
form or another.

The public must have an opportunity to interact with candidates for positions
with such responsibility, and the decision shouldn't be made by search committee
members and regents alone.

WSU seems to be following a dangerous pattern, considering Rawlins was
brought on board in much the same fashion.

In the future, we suggest the university include a public vetting process.
Give students, alumni, and faculty the dog-and-pony show they deserve, and WSU
will let everyone know their input actually matters.

Floyd has excellent qualifications and experience in Washington state. His
presence should help the university clear some of the diversity hurdles it has
faced in recent years.

That doesn't mean WSU or the Board of Regents has the right to treat the rest
of us like pawns in its kingdom.

I whole-heartedly agree. For the past few months since President Rawlins announced his retirement, the big talk on campus is how the search committee and regents wanted everyone to be involved. This was to be a transparent process. After watching Ken Alhadeff practically break his arm patting himself on the back when he introduced Floyd, I wonder if the search committee even knew what was going on in the process. I agree that Floyd has many excellent qualities, however, what was the hurry? It seems as if the regents don't believe the WSU community nor the people of Washington state are competent enough to participate in the process. This could make Floyd's transfer to power woefully - and needlessly - difficult.

WSU professor to face reprimand for using racial term

Story Published: Dec 9, 2006 at 1:03 PM PST
Story Updated: Dec 9, 2006 at 1:03 PM PST


By Associated Press
PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) - A professor who used a vulgar racial term while arguing with a student about a political demonstration is likely to face a reprimand, but will be allowed to continue teaching, Washington State University President Lane Rawlins said.

Professor John Streamas used the term "white (expletive)" while arguing with College Republicans on Nov. 2. The students had erected a 24-foot chain-link fence on a busy part of the campus to show support for the Bush administration's plan for a border fence between the U.S. and Mexico.

"His comments were totally inappropriate, and I think he knows that," Rawlins told KREM television of Spokane. He added: "One utterance of a faculty member in the heat of discussion is not the kind of thing for which you terminate someone. But we are looking at reprimands, at whether this is a pattern of behavior."

The demonstration drew a crowd of protesters who hurled accusations of racism at the Republicans, and the reactions of Streamas and another professor, David Leonard, made the event a hot topic on radio talk shows and cable television programs nationwide.

Leonard demanded that College Republicans member Daniel Schanze stop filming him during the demonstration. When Schanze didn't stop, Leonard demanded to see his student identification card.

Schanze called it a "gross display of power" and an attempt to stifle his opinions; Leonard later apologized for his actions in a letter posted on www.cougster.com.

Another student, Dan Ryder, said Streamas called him a "white (expletive)." Streamas acknowledged using the term, but said it wasn't directed at any individual.

Rawlins said the area of campus where the demonstration occurred is a public place, where speech is protected by the First Amendment. But, he said, professors are also expected to set good examples and follow the faculty code of conduct.

Schanze and Ryder said they planned to file formal complaints against the professors through WSU's Center for Human Rights; it was not immediately known if they had done so or what punishment Leonard might face.

In an e-mail last month, Streamas said the fence was a provocative and racist symbol.

"It is a violently racist symbol, no different from Nazis carrying a swastika through a Jewish neighborhood or the KKK rallying around a Confederate flag in a black neighborhood," he wrote.

Streamas and Leonard are professors in the Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies.

Better late then never; I have been so busy with finals and Tom is on vacation. This does make 3 times that we have hit AP; enjoy. I found this from souce: http://www.katu.com/news/local/4873171.html

WSU panel says teacher's comment was 'immature'

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER


Tuesday, December 12, 2006 · Last updated 7:32 p.m. PT
WSU panel says teacher's comment was 'immature'

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

SPOKANE, Wash. -- A Washington State University assistant professor who used a vulgar racial term during a heated political dispute with Republican students was "immature" and "thoughtless," but his actions did not constitute discrimination, a new report concludes.

John Streamas has also called WSU a "racist university" and contended that some say WSU should stand for "White Supremacist University," said the report from the university's Center for Human Rights.

"I certainly don't see the university as bad as all that," said Raoul Sanchez, director of the rights center at the Pullman-based school.

The report was given to the parties involved in the dispute, and a copy was released Tuesday by Dan Ryder, the student who complained to campus officials, saying he had been insulted.

The report directed some blame for the incident toward WSU's College Republicans, who on Nov. 2 erected a 24-foot-long stretch of chain-link fence on campus as a show of support for the Bush administration's plan to build a fence on the border with Mexico.

The fence drew a crowd of protesters who engaged in heated arguments with College Republicans, and the videotaped showdown garnered national attention, especially on conservative radio and television broadcasts.

During the dispute, Ryder said Streamas, an assistant professor of comparative ethnic studies, called him a "white (solid waste)-bag."

College Republicans demanded that Streamas be fired for saying that, and have said the incident was an example of bias against conservative views on campus.

University President V. Lane Rawlins said last week that Streamas would be reprimanded, but not fired.

"One utterance of a faculty member in the heat of discussion is not the kind of thing for which you terminate someone," Rawlins said.

Earlier, Streamas has acknowledged using the term, but said it wasn't directed at any individual. Last month he called the fence a provocative and racist symbol, and compared it to Nazis carrying a swastika through a Jewish neighborhood.

The report said it was unwise for Streamas to have made the comment, which it called "immature, intellectually unsophisticated and thoughtless." But a single such utterance during a robust debate did not, by itself, constitute harassment, discrimination or intimidation, the report said.

Streamas, who was born in Tokyo, did not immediately return Associated Press telephone calls and e-mails seeking comment Tuesday.

The report quoted what it said was an unsolicited voice mail message Streamas left for investigators: "This is a racist university. Many of our students say that WSU stands for White Supremacist University.

"I don't care about the hurt feelings of one white person. The feelings of one little hurt white boy who's got all his white-skinned privilege are nothing compared to the hundreds of people he offended with his racist fence," the voice mail said.

The report said that Ryder objected immediately to the term and that Streamas apologized, and then the two continued to debate.

"The precise definition of the word `(solid waste)-bag' is unclear, but complainant and respondent agree that it is a derogatory term," the report said.

Ryder disagreed with the center's finding.

"I feel that a person who instructs in a department that preaches equality and diversity and accepting all ideas is not fit to instruct in that department if he can't even have that tolerance for other people's views," said Ryder, who is from Olympia.

Ryder said Tuesday he is considering pursuing legal action.

The center does not have any power to discipline employees, and can make only suggestions for corrective actions, Sanchez said.

"It's not our role to take sides," he added. "The reality is never as clean as one side or the other. We simply try and be fair to everyone."

The university must remain a place where many viewpoints can be expressed, Sanchez said.

"The best cure for offensive speech is more speech," he said.


This is the 2nd time (possibly 3rd time) we, the WSU College Republicans, have hit the AP. Some of us have been considering legal action (one CR in-particular has been in talks with various people). We really appreciate your support and anything you can do to help, donations (icon at the top right hand of the site), legal counsel, letters to the editor, etc. We thank you for standing strong with us!

John Streamas Does Not Stop With "White Sh!t Bag" Slur!!

In reply to a CHR request for a meeting, Respondent (John Streamas) left an unsolicited voicemail message, which stated, in relevant part:

The fence was a racist attack upon us. And… I think that we need to talk about that… whatever I said to one person is not equal to whatever that fence did to hundreds of people, attacking us personally and communally. And that’s the issue – the fence, what people said is not nearly as important as how racist an attack that fence is… know some Republicans who themselves think that the fence was a racist insult and are ashamed of the College Republicans…

This is a racist university. Many of our students say that WSU stands for White Supremacist University. … Many, many people have been hurt. I don’t care about the hurt feelings of one white person; I care about the hurt feelings of many, many people of color and immigrants who were offended by that fence… That is what I care about. The feelings of one little hurt white boy (in reference to Dan Ryder) whose got all his white skinned privilege are nothing compared to the hundreds of people he offended with his racist fence. That’s the issue here… [Emphasis in original voice message]

I have the report in front of me and it doesn’t stop there. I can only say wow. If the press would like to contact Dan Ryder for comment please contact him at:

Dan Ryder
East-Vice Chair Washington State College Republican Federation
dryder@wsu.edu
360-280-4624

Discrimination in the President Search?

After seeing that WSU already picked a new President, the Seattle Times included the following in an article about the new President:

In an interview earlier this month, WSU's Florida-based search consultant, Jan Greenwood, warned of the coming crunch in presidential searches. She said the vast majority of eligible candidates — sitting presidents — are white, middle-age men. That's despite increasing diversity among the next tier of administrators, such as provosts and deans.

"It remains extraordinarily difficult for women and/or people of color to move to the top, even though there are more diverse people in those provost roles," she said.

So if we don't hire a black man now, all the good ones may be taken and we will be stuck with a white guy... and our search committee was going out of its way to hire someone based on his skin color... so hurry up and hire someone!

Daily News has a "two for one" day

Many thanks to Jim Krueger for finally stating in unequivocal terms that PARD is anti-growth and for acknowledging Wal-Mart's beneficial effect on the business climate in Pullman. His letter to the editor in today's Daily News speaks for it's self. Aim carefully PARD, there's room for all your feet in your collective mouths.

Meanwhile, Michael O'Neal's article is a wonderfully clear and insightful examination of the rabidly politically correct, apologist, racist administrative embarrassment at WSU. The only thing missing from Mr. O'Neal's article is the fact that the University's "investigator" (more like cover-up specialist) in the matter arrived at the desired (by the Administration) conclusion.