LITTLE

A question arises now that he may have violated that oath when he signed the abortion bill and even admitted it may be unconstitutional.

In a letter explaining his approval of the law, Little also said he worries the civil enforcement mechanism will be proven “unconstitutional and unwise.”

In a legal opinion sent to Sen. Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise, who opposed the bill, Idaho Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane said the legislation would likely violate the U.S. Constitution.

An odd dichotomy exists here in Idaho: the state Legislature is constantly flexing its muscles, claiming that the Federal government tramples the rights of the state. However, the Legislature seems to never stop navel-gazing long enough to realize just how much they trample the rights of the residents of Idaho.

This issue has reared its head once again, in the form of HB 675. Introduced by Bruce Skaug (R-Nampa), and tellingly, with Blaine Conzatti of the Idaho Family Policy Center listed as a contact, the House has decided, mostly along party lines, that gender-affirming care provided to minors should be illegal. Fortunately, Chuck Winder, Senate Pro-tem, has provided some adult supervision and indicated the bill will not get a hearing in the Senate. This has (somewhat) restored my faith in the “old-guard” of the Republican Party in Idaho, because ultimately this is an issue about how a family best raises its children, which has always been one of the core beliefs Republicans in Idaho claim to espouse.

You might be asking yourself: why does the writer care? Well, fifteen years ago my oldest child started expressing (to their mother) just how uncomfortable and inappropriate they felt with their “assigned” gender. My wife and I did not understand then, and to be honest, we still don’t understand, because to us the idea of having an incorrectly assigned gender seems so incredibly foreign.

We took the stance that our child wasn’t mature enough to fully understand the issue, and I even went so far as to attribute part of our child’s behavior to “trying to be cool and fit in” with the particular peer group they selected. The multiple times we ended up on suicide watch should have been the first clue there was more to our child’s statements about their gender than my wife and I believed.

We pushed back, continually. Even now, fifteen years later, we still don’t get it, and probably never will. For myself, I accept, even if I don’t agree: this is my child, and I love them. The world is a hard, cold, and unforgiving place. Sadly for my child, they know this all too well, and for too many years of their life, I was one of those making it hard, cold, and unforgiving.

I don’t remember the exact age when my child started their transition, but more important than the physical changes were the emotional changes. I saw my child’s self-esteem grow, which makes perfect sense: finally, the root of so many issues was being addressed. Our relationship is now better than ever, but somewhat bittersweet to me: I don’t see my child as much as I would like because they felt the need to move to a different state where the level of persecution non-traditional sexuality/gender is less.

Like too many things in life, I simply didn’t understand the issue until it affected me. That’s really a horrible way to learn: I often wonder how many people other than my child I hurt in the past with my callousness. Families dealing with gender issues are already struggling enough, and the licit use of power and punishment won’t do anything other than give the national audience of CNN something else to laugh at Idaho about, which is definitely not needed, not as long as Ammon Bundy keeps making the news.

Every time the Legislature is in session, I brace myself for the number of bills that claim to be “family-friendly”. Consider the arguments made in favor of school choice, sexual education, vaccination, and so on—the proponents of these bills always say “parents know best”. Why can’t a parent know best in this situation? And to penalize a medical provider for following a parent’s wishes seems to run counter to everything I witnessed here in Idaho during the COVID pandemic.

Idahoans claim to have Christian values (I definitely try to!), but many seem to forget the most important parts of the message: love one another as yourself, be an example of what you believe, and realize individuals will, in the long run, be held accountable for themselves. My children, although they aren’t believers, understand this. Why can’t Representative Skaug, and the 54 other legislators who voted for this do the same?

We welcome any comments and factual story content.

Here are some trending topics of discussion:

—Brian Harsin sits out Auburn Football practice and stadium openers.

–Was it time to leave Afghanistan after 20 years? More defense contractor mercenaries died than real soldiers. DEATH TOLL American service members killed in Afghanistan through April: 2,448. U.S. contractors: 3,846. Do the mercenaries get V.A. benefits and PTSD payments?

–Is the police oversight system viable in Boise with video being withheld on critical incidents and officers under investigation put back on the road before being cleared?

–Will local government budgets be game changers this year?

–COVID is running rampant and many are fighting mask and immunization.

In Farmington, New Mexico the local Denny’s required diners to register and provide a phone number prior to seating. It wasn’t a scam. New Mexico had no deaths and only a few cases of COVID that day. The registration was to enable tracking in the event of a confirmed case.

Everywhere in the South masks are required and there is an abundance of hand cleaner stations.

Several hotels had paper seals on the room doors after they had been “sanitized.” In Florida, masks were as common as shorts and sandals.

The “anti-masker” element was not present the further east we went.

A growing concentration of junk vehicles, trash and homeless behind Vista Albertson’s.

We figure answers would be forthcoming if the folks living behind Albertson’s at Vista and Overland and along or near Shoreline were to relocate to Warm Springs or Harrison Blvd. or even Harris Ranch. Those neighbors have affluence, intelligence, and perhaps even compassion. Perhaps they could suggest a solution if they were able to see the problem first hand.

Unlike the “Hoovervilles” of the Great Depression which were essentially an economic issue, the homeless of today are the result of drug and alcohol abuse, mental health issues, life choices, and simply bad luck.

Street camping near Vista and Overland.

Today, with changes in public opinion, institutions and jails are not the solution. Throughout the USA cities struggle with “what to do with them.” Boise has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to outlaw panhandling, camping on the streets and other ordinances intended to remove the downtrodden members of society.

Arrests and tickets only clog the courts. It is absurd to expect a destitute homeless person to appear in court or pay a fine. The “system” just charges them with contempt or failure to appear and the “crimes” just multiply.

The well intended, but not real good plan to concentrate even more homeless into the former Salvation Army warehouse on West State Street is a formula of reverse gentrification destined to fail.

Boise officials have been exploring ideas including purchase of hotels, but past purchases have served only to concentrate sex offenders and convicted felons near parks, schools, and student housing.

Walmart bans overnight parking (camping).

We are aware of the problem and welcome any solutions from readers.

Raul Labrador, the former congressman and Republican activist, was appointed to the Central District Health board, replacing ousted Democratic Commish Diana Lachiondo. The commission’s two new members, Republicans Ryan Davidson and Rod Beck, voted in favor of Labrador’s appointment, while Democratic Commissioner Kendra Kenyon abstained.

Kenyon said she was concerned by the apparent discussions between Beck and Davidson about placing Labrador onto the CDH board. All this comes on the first day of conducting county business by the new board.

Labrador has made public statements which indicate he is an “anti-masker.”

There just isn’t much we can discuss that hasn’t been covered by the legacy media as they talk to each other via the internet. We get the same press releases from the well paid government and don’t see any reason to duplicate the messages.

Stay safe and get your vaccine as soon as it is available and perhaps we can all join to debate something other than the use of masks and whether or not the presidential election was rigged.

Best wishes for 2021 to all!

The noisy protest Tuesday at Central District Health was widely reported by the national media.

However, GUARDIAN sources don’t see any immediate link between the hell raisers intimidating the Central District Health Department members, the Nazi graffiti at the Anne Frank memorial, and the Trump anti mask supporters. However those events did little to calm fears of increasing civil unrest.

Let’s face it, folks are on edge. Ammon Bundy and his group have caused disruption at the legislature and at Central District Health meetings, some business owners are fed up with mandatory mask requirements while others are fed up with the Trumpsters who challenge the order. Meanwhile, social media claims a neo Nazi has moved into town and is recruiting followers.

The Anne Frank Memorial near the Boise River was subject of vandals Monday night who left swastikas and a message proclaiming to be “everywhere.”

Think about it. The girls have to wear a mask to cover their nose and mouth, but most everything else is NOT covered! What a city!

Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has announced a settlement agreement with three Idaho gas retailers following an investigation into their fuel prices during the state’s COVID-19-related state of emergency declared in March 2020.

The agreement addresses concerns raised by the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. The settlement includes $1.5 million in consumer redress by way of sales credits to be provided in 2021.

Retailers Maverik and Jacksons Food Stores, Inc. will each provide $600,000 in credits and Stinker Stores, Inc. will provide $300,000.

As part of the settlement, none of the retailers admit to any wrongdoing. (EDITOR NOTE–this standard line always defies logic)
“I am pleased that we were able to address my office’s concerns and reach agreement on this matter, and in doing so, provide Idaho consumers with meaningful redress,” Wasden said. “The parties spent significant time analyzing, reviewing and negotiating. I want to commend the retailers for their willingness to be part of this solution.”

In March, federal and state emergency orders triggered the implementation of Idaho law governing the sale of food, water, fuel and pharmaceuticals during emergency declarations. Specifically, the statute prohibits selling those items at exorbitant or excessive prices while the declaration is in place.

Under the agreement, each company will earn credits by selling fuel at a price at which it can earn credits when the margin between the gas retailer’s retail price and the wholesale price for its product is less than the existing average margin of the states surrounding Idaho. For example, if the average margin in a given month between the retail and wholesale prices in the states surrounding Idaho is $.25 per gallon, and one of the retailers sells a consumer ten gallons of gas at a price with a margin that is $.15 per gallon, the retailer would earn a credit of $1 towards their redress obligation ($.10 x 10 gallons = $1.00).

The companies will have one year to satisfy their credit obligations, starting in January 2021.