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Going its own way

Going its own way

November 19, 2023

Is Oregon’s largest private-sector union going its own way politically?

It’s too early to say conclusively, but as it’s said in journalism, three instances make a trend, and a string of instances this year suggest the organization is already there.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 represents more than 30,000 workers, the core working at grocery stores but many in other businesses as well. Over the years, its political activities usually have aligned with those of most other Northwest union organizations in generally supporting Democratic candidates. It has been going through some changes, including by expanding.. It has long covered Oregon and southwest Washington, but in 2021 it merged with the local in southern Idaho, so that it now reaches from the Pacific to Jackson, Wyoming.

It also has sought to expand into the legal cannabis business sector. Since Oregon’s legalization, the local has tried to organize its workers and has pressed legislation to mandate cannabis businesses sign “labor peace agreements” as a condition of licensure.

When the local took the idea to the Oregon Legislature as House Bill 3183 (Cannabis Workers Rights), it drew questions about whether it would survive a court challenge. Rep. Paul Holvey, who chaired the House Committee on Business and Labor where the measure was assigned, shared that concern and, with time running out in the session, diverted the rules committee, where it died.

That result came amidst what probably felt to the local like a reversal of fortunes. As one labor newspaper noted, “from 2015 to 2017, Local 555 was a big player in a string of wins in the Oregon Legislature, including the 2015 paid sick leave law, the 2016 minimum wage law and the 2017 fair scheduling law. But in the last few years, Local 555 has had a tough time getting its proposed legislation passed.”

After the cannabis measure failed, Local 555 officials struck back. They targeted Holvey, a Eugene Democrat long close to the strong labor organizations in his district, for recall. Local 555 cited “a long list of Holvey’s anti-worker actions and questionable conduct that warrant his removal, including Holvey’s dishonest framing of his opposition to pro-worker legislation, his long-standing double standard advantaging big business interests over those of working people, a chronic lack of engagement and other instances of poor conduct.”

But they got no real support among other labor organizations. While umbrella groups like the state AFL-CIO stayed out of the fight, 14 other labor organizations in the area – including the Ironworkers Local 29, Lane Professional Fire Fighters (IAFF Local 851), Oregon AFSCME, Oregon and Southern Idaho District Council of Laborers, Oregon Building Trades Council, Oregon Coalition of Police and Sheriffs and the Oregon Nurses Association – sided with Holvey.

With the help of paid signature gatherers, Local 555 did get the recall on the ballot. But the voters supported Holvey by a stunning margin: About 90% voted not to recall him, a number far larger than that in most contested races.

But even before that election the local was back into ballot issues, saying on June 23 it would try to reverse the recently passed House Bill 2426, which opened the door to self-serve gasoline dispensing across the state.

Oregon was known for many years as one of two states – the other is New Jersey – requiring that attendants pump gas, a rule imposed in 1951 and long thought to be immutable. It has been eroded steadily in recent years, however, first with exemptions for rural areas and then broader pandemic-era allowances. Polling showed steadily growing support for self-serve gas.

HB 2426, passed and enacted this year, did away with the self-serve ban statewide, though it still requires businesses generally to provide a staff-service option. That latter provision may keep some service positions intact. Advocates also point out that Oregon has been experiencing a labor shortage in recent years.

Local 555 does have an interest in this issue, since it said it represents “nearly 800 workers at 63 grocery store fuel stations in Oregon,” though there’s little clear information on how many jobs have been lost through the law change, and in its statement on the initiative the local didn’t offer an estimate.

Local 555 spokesman Miles Eshaia said, “We have fuel stations within some of our bargaining units and we have seen not necessarily layoffs, but job loss to attrition so people who quit, they just don’t replace them because they don’t necessarily need to, because the new law allows for half of what they had before.”

Local 555 would need to collect about 117,000 signatures by next July to get a proposed reversal on the ballot. If it succeeds at that,  the odds of passage are not good, especially considering that other organizations haven’t jumped on board. While it probably would get more than 10% support, the measure seems to be trying to swim upstream.

The local also is taking on the statehouse with a series of other ballot proposals, which aim to revamp the ethics commission, end some closed door meetings, require some financial transparency for hospitals and pass into law a measure along the lines of the cannabis worker bill that failed in the last session.

Local 555 appears to be going its own way. Will others join in?

This column appeared originally in the Oregon Capital Chronicle.

Max Black

Max Black

November 17, 2023

Max Black, who was an Idaho state representative from 1992 to 2006, and who died at Boise on November 10, was a good state legislator.

I knew at the time, as I watched him at the Statehouse, that  he was a good legislator, but only years after he served did I piece together some of the important reasons why, and those reasons had nothing to do with the legislature as such.

Max was cheerful, enthusiastic, seldom critical or downbeat (in my observation), and unlike many elected officials did not seem to be a great self-promoter. He was a well-regarded legislator, though, across the chamber and among people (such as lobbyists and reporters) around it. His reputation was made on the basis of careful work and maintaining good personal relationships. Throwing shade or red meat was nowhere near his style.

So what drove Max, if not the usually expected personal aggrandizement?

I got my first clue of that one day in 2012, years after his days in elected office, when my cell phone rang while I happened to be walking through the Idaho Statehouse. It was an out of the blue call from Max, who I hadn’t seen for some years. His reason for the call: Knowing that I published books, he wanted to talk about a book proposal he had.

(A disclaimer: I am the publisher of the book I’m about to describe.)

I’ve fielded a number of such book pitch calls over the years, but this one was different from most. After leaving the legislature, Max became deeply interested in regional history, to the point of taking extensive efforts to research it from original people and materials. He became captivated by the well-known southern Idaho murder case, from the late 19th century, of “Diamondfield” Jack Davis, who was convicted and nearly (and more than once) hanged for the killing of two sheepmen.

Books had been written before about Davis (I had even read one), and their writers included ample speculation but also lots of blank area when it came to important facts of the case and Davis’ life. I asked Max why he wanted to write a new one.

His answer was stunning. He had investigated the case from scratch, walking the desert landscape and visiting people in the region to find obscure clues. His persistence led him to the point of locating the firearm and one of the bullets involved in the murder case, and unlike anyone previously he had pieced together the evidence that Davis not only did not but could not have committed the crime - and he had developed nearly conclusive evidence about who did. He even unearthed new information about what became of Davis in his later years, and scotched a number of spurious stories.

He convinced me.

We brought the book, called “Diamondfield: Finding the Real Jack Davis,” into publication the next year, and from that year to this Max has been a tireless promoter of it: His enthusiasm for the work he does has been as great as anyone I’ve known.

He also has been doing ongoing research into other obscure corners of western history, and he often has shared unexpected tales from the old, and sometimes not so old, intermountain west.

His persistence and ingenuity, and ability to find help and leverage information, was remarkable.

That’s not all there was to him, of course. An obituary said that, “He found joy in creating pens, trains, violins, boxes and really almost anything out of wood and giving his creations away or donating them for others to enjoy.” That too would fit with the Max Black I saw in the context of his book.

His enthusiasm, persistence and refusal to accept anything less than the best evidence before deciding on what the story really is: These are useful qualities for a state legislator, or anyone in a position of public responsibility.

 

How? Just how?

How? Just how?

November 16, 2023

I don’t know if we all agree that folks with disabilities or low income should have access to health care services. I’d love to have that discussion.

It seems that our nation thought this, and so the Medicaid program was passed into law in 1965. But those were different times. Don’t ask me what I was under the influence of back then.

Medicaid was built as a federal-state partnership. If a state chose to enroll and abide by the federal requirements, the federal government would agree to pay no less than half of the cost, but no more than 80% of the cost. The target population back then was folks with severe disabilities and those under the federal poverty level (FPL).

Idaho might have had a different soul back then, because our legislature signed us up to enroll in Medicaid in 1966. We were an early state to enroll. Maybe the Freedom Foundation wasn’t born then. I was just twelve. It was a long time ago.

So that matching/ shared payment program applied to the traditional Medicaid folks. That matching formula (called the FMAP) is calculated every year based on the average income of the state’s residents compared to the national average.

Idaho has had a generous FMAP match for many years, often 70% federal, 30% State, based on our lower incomes. Most states are 50/50. This year we get a bump. Our state income went up. This year we will now have to pay 2% more.

For those of you here in Idaho still burning about Medicaid Expansion, this is NOT a flag to wave. I know, this is complicated and confusing, and you probably don’t even care. But how, just how are we going to get this done? Please, pay attention and understand the details.

The Medicaid Expansion population will always be supported federally at 90%. The state will only have to pay 10% of that cost. This FMAP bump only applies to those below 100% FPL and the disabled. Believe me, those folks are expensive, but deserving of our care.

I write this to teach, but also to learn. I went to a forum tonight where my local legislators were talking to the crowd about their plans for the coming legislative session. I asked if they had any reaction to this FMAP change. NEITHER representative even knew what I was talking about. NEITHER knew how Medicaid is funded.

So, I wish to ask the crowd, should we be providing healthcare to the disabled and poor? If not, just say so, and a simple vote by you legislators who represent me could disenroll us from the Medicaid program. I can write the bill for you.

But if not, if you think people with disabilities and those who don’t get health insurance from their work should have access to health care, then how, just how are we going to do this?

I have read many other plans. The Idaho Freedom Foundation foisted one a few years back when they were opposing Medicaid Expansion. It proposed everybody have a health savings account. I guess they hadn’t read that 60% of us couldn’t finance a blown transmission let alone cancer.

Paul Ryan, remember him? He quit being Speaker of the House right after he got the Trump Tax Cuts through. Maybe he saw the folly. Maybe he saw a more stable job. But his argument was to replace the Medicaid formula with block grants.

I was just entering state politics at the time. I saw the value in his proposal. Look carefully at the formula. If Idaho figures out how to save a ton of money on Medicaid, we only get 30% of the savings. Block grants would build in more incentive.

But then I spent some time in the Idaho legislature. Sorry. I was not impressed.

 

Anti-burn it down

Anti-burn it down

November 15, 2023

It wasn’t long ago when now-Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke was part of a House leadership team that was widely viewed as one of the most conservative in Idaho’s history. Across the rotunda, there was now-Gov. Brad Little who generally was preaching the same conservative gospel in the Senate.

I worked as communication adviser with the House GOP caucus at the time, with Lawerence Denney as speaker, Mike Moyle as majority leader, Ken Roberts as caucus chair and Bedke as assistant majority leader. And there was never a question about their conservative credentials. The mild-mannered Denney was labeled as “Boss Denney” by some media outlets for supposedly forcing through his conservative ways. Bedke, who later served 10 years as speaker, was a good fit for that group.

“And now we’re not viewed as conservative enough? Give me a break,” Bedke told me in a recent visit at his Statehouse office.

The Idaho Freedom Foundation, the Legislature’s Freedom Caucus and others to the right will say that Bedke – and Little’s administration as a whole -- is not conservative enough. They’ll say that government spending and taxes are too high, and at least some conservatives go as far as labeling “establishment” Republicans as RINOs.

Bedke will be hearing plenty of “RINO talk” in a few years if he ends up running for governor. For now, he’s not shy about defending what Republicans have accomplished over the last three decades and gives props to Little’s leadership.

“He’s a good administrator and a good governor who cares deeply about the state,” Bedke says. “The proof is in the pudding. We’ve had decades of traditional conservative leadership here in the state and created a state where everybody wants to move to. Our economy is unrivaled; it’s the fastest-growing state and quickest to recover (from downturns). And now we criticize the people in the offices that have been integral in making Idaho the success that it is. That doesn’t make sense to me.”

In Bedke’s eyes, policies have reflected Idaho values. “It’s hard work. It’s pay as you go. It’s being careful with the taxpayers’ money. And we’ve been discovered. That turns out to be a pretty dang good way to manage the state. It’s a good place to raise a family, a great place to have a business and the quality of life is unmatched. That’s not to say there are things that we can’t improve on, but the success that we enjoy now is directly attributable to the decades of traditional conservative approach to government. And now that’s not good enough?”

As for his personal “conservative” values, he said, “there’s no question where I stand, and there’s no question where I stand on guns. Do I wear it on my sleeve? No. Do I demagogue that for short-term political gain? No. But don’t take my guns away and stay out of my family life. If the indicator is going to be my position on God and country, or Second Amendment, or lightest touch of government … those are Republican values that I will not deviate from and never have. I believe I can match my Republican credentials with anyone in the state.”

The state Republican Party, which once served as cheerleaders for GOP officeholders, is now calling out incumbents to not adhering to certain standards.

“The paint job is ‘Idaho GOP,’ but the mechanics are burn-it-down libertarian and I think Idahoans will see through that,” Bedke says. “They are criticizing arguably one of the most successful systems of states out there.”

Since taking office in January, Bedke has kept a relatively low profile – at least compared to his predecessor, former Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin. Bedke has been traveling to all parts of the Gem State and taking some time off to manage affairs at his Oakley ranch. He talks to groups about Idaho’s success story, while giving a friendly plug to Idaho’s “LAUNCH” grants aimed at helping Idaho high school students get into trade programs.

Critics label the program as “socialistic,” but Bedke says, “I’m a big fan.” He says it’s one way that students can learn a trade, find a job and stay in Idaho – opposed to fleeing the state after graduation.

As Bedke sees it, that’s a winning formula for all – and from a conservative standpoint, a wise return on the state’s investment.

Chuck Malloy is a long-time Idaho journalist and columnist. He may be reached at ctmalloy@outlook.com

 

A missed swing

A missed swing

November 14, 2023

So.

Idaho's junior Senator is pissed by the noise from airplanes flying over his South Boise homestead.

What a deal!

Jimmy Risch has lived out there for decades.  Noise from aircraft is not a new phenomenon for him.  He's been listening to airplanes - with his ham and eggs - for a long, long time.  When he's there.

Only now, after many thousands and thousands of general aviation and commercial flights in and out of the Boise airport over 30 or so years, does he squawk.  The airport is just a mile or so from his desert hacienda, an airport he's used many hundreds of times on his trips in and out of Boise, to and from his U.S. Senate offices in D.C..

The Boise airport has been in-place for many decades before the junior Senator and his family moved South.  He knows that.  But, now, several decades after he took up residence, he's pouting.

Risch can be no more put out about the aerial racket than several thousand Meridian residents and folks in the area of Five Mile Road, Eagle Road, Cloverdale, Linder and more.  Those "aggravating" aircraft fly over a lot of West Ada County and Boise territory.  They've done it for years.

Now, our boy wants somebody, somewhere to do something about it.  NOW!

I'd be willing to support Jimmy if he was standing up for his constituents out West -and South - of Boise.  If he was asked to front an organized group of Ada County folks, similarly unhappy about the airport, seeking a real answer to their problem.  If he was the spokesman for thousands of folks who were as unhappy about noisy aerial conditions as Junior.

But he's not.

Fact of the matter is, the airport had been there for many, many years before "Gentleman James" decided to live nearby on his little acreage.  He knew the planes were there.  He knew by hearing flyover noise as he was out there looking for a homestead many years ago. He knew by driving around the airport's West end to get to his property.  Or, downtown.

What's changed is that the Boise airport is much busier than it was in the '70's and '80's.  More commercial, military and private aircraft are in the skies thereabouts.  The airport is a thriving source of income for the city and a handy resource for air travelers and home to the Idaho Air Guard.  It's win-win all the way.

What the hell does Risch expect in answer to his new outrage?  Who - or what - is supposed to do something to change the situation?

The only way to dry his tears is for him to move out of the area.  The airport is not gonna move.  The planes won't stop flying.  The noise from those aircraft won't suddenly go away.  The only answer for Junior is a U-Haul truck and some teens looking for work.

I've never been a Senator.  Never aspired to be one.  So, maybe I don't understand the depths of Risch's belated anger.  Is a Senator's anger different from the rest of us?  Is he angrier than us?  Does it take 30-40 years to get up a full head of steam on an issue if you're a Senator?

Or, is he using his years as a national politician to achieve his ends?  A little power play to get what he wants?  Silence?

Or, maybe - just maybe - he knows something we don't.  Maybe he knows some new, high-powered stealth airplanes are coming to the Idaho National Guard.  Stealth planes that, I can tell you from personal experience, are much nosier than the current crop.  Much.

I go back a long way with the Senator.  I've watched him in "action" many, many times.  On a personal note, he's even taken a drunken swing at me (and missed.)  A future Idaho Governor kept him from falling flat.  Oh, yeah, we go way back.

I'm afraid, on this one Jimmy, you're on your own.  The "chin" you're going to try hit this time belongs to the City of Boise.  Or the State of Idaho.  Or the federal Department of Transportation.  Or, the United States Air Force.

But, in the end, my friend, after 30-40 years of living in the same spot, you're gonna have to move.  Or, buy some expensive ear plugs.

I don't think you can "swing" your way out of this one.

 

What individual Idahoans can do

What individual Idahoans can do

November 13, 2023

Americans can commemorate Veterans Day twice this year. The official observance is November 11. It dates back to the armistice ending World War I, which went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. It was originally called Armistice Day, but renamed Veterans Day in 1954. November 11 falls on Saturday this year, so the state and federal holiday is observed on Friday, November 10.

It is certainly fitting that Americans join together on Veterans Day to honor and thank those who stepped forward to serve the country. But there is so much more that individuals can do throughout the year to show their appreciation and support for our veteran population. Idaho currently has about 160,000 veterans.

Although the veteran suicide rate appears to have declined in the last several years, it is still a major tragedy. About 17 veterans die by suicide every day in the U.S., according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA). The veteran suicide rate is 57.3% higher than non-veterans. DVA data shows that Idaho’s suicide rate is significantly higher than the national average.

These figures are likely a floor because a recent study suggests that veteran suicides may have been significantly undercounted. That is, deaths attributed to other causes, mainly drug overdoses, may actually have been veterans taking their own lives. The study indicates the real daily figure might be closer to 44 suicides per day.

Whatever the death rate, we can and must do better to save the lives of veterans. Individual Idahoans can help. We can all reach out to veterans we know who appear to be troubled. They should be informed of resources available to help veterans with suicide, substance abuse and mental health issues. DVA operates a Veterans Crisis Line that can assist on a confidential, 24/7 basis. Idaho has its own highly-regarded crisis line, the Idaho Crisis & Suicide Hotline.

The Idaho crisis line can always use additional financial support and people can find a donate button on its website. We should all make it known to our federal and state legislators that adequate funding is necessary for these and other veterans programs in order to keep faith with those who have served us well. Specific mention should be made to our Congressional delegation of the need for DVA to provide better opioid addiction treatment for newly transitioned veterans. A recent Inspector General report indicates that such treatment is currently inadequate.

Another area where individual Idahoans can lend a hand to veterans is with regard to foreigners who served alongside our military personnel. Foreign nationals who served in the U.S. military and individuals who worked for American forces in our recent wars have not received the path to citizenship they were promised. Those of us who served with foreigners regard this as a serious and regrettable breach of trust.

The Veterans Service Recognition Act (HR 4569) provides for the naturalization of foreign nationals who have served or are serving in the U.S. military. The Bill passed the House last year, but not the Senate. It is supported by many organizations, including the American Legion, and should be enacted into law. Idahoans should call upon our Congressional delegation for action on the bill. During several months with the Army in Okinawa in 1968, I served under Captain Dietmar W.L. Zurell, a German national serving to acquire citizenship. He was a great addition to our American family.

Idahoans can also urge our delegation and the President to speed up processing of visas for Iraqis and Afghans who put their lives at risk by helping Americans in those two wars. We have recently heard of the problems that Afghans have encountered in getting visas, but there are up to 100,000 Iraqis who are still waiting for our promises to be kept.

I spent most of my service in Vietnam living and working with South Vietnamese soldiers. We were friends. We trusted one another with our lives. They believed in America and one of my greatest regrets is that we did not lift a finger to keep them from a dreaded fate when the Communists took over their country in 1975. We should never turn our back again on those foreign friends who risked their lives for American troops.

Please have a thoughtful Veterans Day.

 

Local election influences

Local election influences

November 10, 2023

Local elections, like those last week in Idaho cities and school districts, often are decided because of local considerations and concerns. A city mayor or school board member may be long-established and uncontroversial and thereby win another term, or may be the subject of hot debate (for good reason or not) and be dropped by the voters.

Some other patterns do turn up, though, and one this year in Idaho and other places involves candidates promoted by far-right groups or local Republican Party organizations. In last week’s elections in Idaho, quite a few of these candidates didn’t succeed.

These cases, all involving offices officially non-partisan, involve different kinds of stories.

The Boise mayoral contest, for example, had partisan overtones. The city has become increasingly blue over the last couple of decades, and the incumbent mayor, Lauren McLean, has long been identified as a Democrat. Her opponent, Mike Masterson, has said he formerly was a Republican but is no longer; nonetheless, an informal R seemed attached to his name as a D was to McLean’s.

All other factors aside - many concerns and issues were raised, and some may have affected a number of votes - the vote McLean received is not far off from what most credible Democratic candidates normally receive in the city. Seen in that way, Boise followed a partisan pattern.

Although the state’s second-largest city, Meridian, is a far more Republican place, the dynamic actually looked similar. Mayor Robert Simison, like McLean seeking a second term, has been relatively centrist and mostly uncontroversial. His chief opponent, Mike Hon, described himself: “I’m a conservative. And I think Meridian is mostly a conservative place. So that’s why we want to focus on family values.” Simison won with about  70% of the vote.

There aren’t many other large population centers around the state where the dynamic works that way. But an informal R label this election proved less useful for a number of candidates than it often did in recent years when, for example, candidates for the North Idaho College Board and the West Bonner School District board have ridden those endorsements to wins.

In the West Ada School District, two incumbents, Rene Ozuna and David Binetti, were challenged by well-funded challengers with strong local Republican connections. Both incumbents won, however.

The Idaho Ed News reported that the two highest profile contests for the Coeur d’Alene School Board resulted in losses for the two candidates supported by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee; the two winners apparently (to judge from their fundraising and lists of supporters) appear to have gone into the contest with eyes open and strong organization.

The story was similar with the Coeur d'Alene city council election; one observer snarked, “Frankly, after this, maybe #idgop #KCRCC should persist in "rating and vetting" and producing lists of candidates to put in front of voters. It's the kiss of death.”

In Nampa, the connections to party organizations are thinner, but you can suss them out. In one faceoff, Stephanie Binns, an educator, took what would look like the Democratic side on hot issues, and contractor Jay Duffy took the Republican side; Binns won with 60% of the vote. In the other hot race in the district, the result went the other way, though the “informal R” got just 51%, in a very Republican community.

On the eastern side of the state, results in the Idaho Falls School District were strikingly similar.

In Caldwell, all three incumbents, facing challenges from the right, prevailed.

You can cite countervailing examples, but the number of centrist winners in this week’s contests were notable and may amount to a serious pattern.

There’s been talk over the last year of more centrist voters, groups and candidates pushing back against the strong campaigns from the right. Such efforts succeeded at the community college board level (in some places, not all). And they may have succeeded again this November.

 

Diabetes awareness

Diabetes awareness

November 8, 2023

Don’t feel badly if you do not realize that Nov. 14 is World Diabetes Day, or that November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. There are no fireworks, parades or party hats to mark the “celebration.” It’s more of a somber time to draw awareness about the crisis of diabetes – an epidemic long before COVID came along.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 37 million people in the United States have diabetes and 96 million people have this ticking timebomb called “prediabetes.” Another 9 million have diabetes, but don’t know about it. In Idaho, more than 120,000 people – or just over 8 percent of the adult population – have been diagnosed with diabetes. Another 427,000 people in the Gem State, or almost 34 percent of the adult population, have prediabetes.

And did you know that one in 10 people worldwide has the disease?

Diabetes is known as the “silent killer” for good reason. People don’t die from diabetes specifically … it’s the complications that will get you. Heart attacks, kidney failure and strokes are a few of the deadly complications. Diabetes also leads to blindness and amputations, robbing people of a quality of life.

But there are success stories, too. Ron Santo, the Hall of Fame third baseman with the Cubs; Jay Cutler, a former NFL quarterback; Mark Andrews, a sensational tight end with the Baltimore Ravens and Adam Morrison, a former basketball standout with Gonzaga, are just a few star athletes who did not allow diabetes to slow them down.

Normally, I write about politics, which is something I have done in various forms for 45 years. But raising awareness about diabetes is what touches my soul. I’ve had the disease (type 2) for almost 25 years and have experienced my share of complications – the most painful of which was the loss of my career at age 53 (I’m 73 now). The more that people know about the disease, the better. And to those who have been recently diagnosed, you can mark my words.

Diabetes is not a death sentence.

This is not a one-person crusade by any means. For the last couple of years, I have been associated with Diabetes Alliance of Idaho, which consists largely of health educators and life coaches who are on the front lines of the fight against this disease. I would not be here without the help they have provided. I learned about nutrition, how to manage the disease, and the importance of exercise. There are education, and diabetes prevention programs, that are available throughout the state.

More recently, I joined the Lions Club – which has placed a high priority on diabetes awareness. My club in Meridian holds annual golf events to benefit Camp Hodia, a summer camp where kids with diabetes can learn about managing the disease while having the time of their lives. The big drawing card is that no kid is turned away because of lack of affordability.

It makes sense for the Lions to emphasize diabetes, given the organization’s long association with eye care and research. The Lions have every reason for wanting to stop this disease in its tracks, with diabetes being a leading cause for blindness and vision loss.

Just about everyone with diabetes has a story to tell, and I’m no exception. About this time in 2004, I had five-way heart bypass surgery. Basically, diabetes was clogging up my heart and my cardiologist told me I was a candidate for “dropping” at any moment. He didn’t need to say anything else to convince me to have the surgery.

So, in essence, I’ve been playing with “house money” for almost 19 years and I’m doing great. At 73, I’m in much better health than 20 years ago. My primary doctor tells me that I have at least 10 good years left, and probably longer. So, it appears that complications will not get to me anytime soon – or at a young age.

In the meantime, I will keep doing what I’ve been doing with the political writing and raising awareness about diabetes. On that front, I can’t go wrong with the Diabetes Alliance of Idaho and the world’s largest service organization working for the same cause.

Chuck Malloy is a long-time Idaho journalist and columnist. He may be reached at ctmalloy@outlook.com

 

Zinkes of the world

Zinkes of the world

November 7, 2023

Montana has a U.S. representative named Ryan Zinke.

Zinke likes to strut around the U.S. Capitol grounds wearing a large, black cowboy hat and big ol’ black Western boots. Always shined. Of course. Just like every “cowboy.”

I don’t know if he’s got any cattle in Montana. But, in Washington D.C., he is a committed member of the far-right “herd.”

Zinke's latest bellowing is about as racist as it gets. He, and a few dozen members of that small self-righteous herd, want to send any Palestinians now on visas in this country “back where they belong.”

Zinke masquerades as a supporter of Israel. He may have some limited understanding of what that means. But, he’s “all hat and no cattle” when it comes to knowing what’s currently going on in the Mideast. Especially where Palestinians are concerned.

Zinke not only wants to stop issuing visas to Palestinians, he wants to revoke any such documents back-dated to October 1.

“I don’t trust the Biden Administration any more than I do the Palestinian Authority to screen who is allowed to come into the United States,” he said.

Zinke and others of his ilk have authored a bill to pause issuing visas for Palestinians issued since October 1.

Zinke says “This is the most anti-Hamas immigration legislation I’ve seen and it’s well-deserved.”

The title of the bill he’s backing is “Bill to Expel Palestinians from the United States.” The measure would direct the Department of Homeland Security to “identify and remove covered aliens without lawful status” including those whose lawful status has just been revoked by the same legislation.

Zinke’s bill – which has the backing of about 10 others of the far-right “Freedom Caucus” – stands no chance of passage. But, it does represent an increase of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab noise from those on that ragged edge of the ultra-conservative element in Congress. Marjorie Taylor-Greene is another sponsor of the same garbage.

While the actual fighting action is in the Mideast, it seems there’s a wave of antisemitism sweeping the world at the moment. While antisemitism is normally defined as opposition to Jews, haters appear to have lumped into the word about everybody with black hair and dark skin.

Even in the rather small Northwest community in which this writer lives, I saw a window sign along the highway last week saying “Jews Go Home.” It disappeared after a couple of days. But, I’d bet the thought still lingers on the property.

Reading it, I suddenly thought “What if the Jew in question was born in Seattle? Is Seattle far enough away to go ‘home’?”

Hatred of others because of religion or skin color – or anything else – is a damnable thing. It’s totally unreasonable and without any basis in thought. I’ve never felt the urge to stigmatize others for the way they worship or for living a lifestyle different from my own. What a terribly boring place this would be if we were all the same.

The Ryan Zinkes of the world would have us believe people with dark skin or who worship the one God differently should be shunted off to somewhere else. Preferably out of the country. They should be ostracized because….. Because…. Oh, Hell. For some ill-conceived “reason” totally unreasonable.

What’s happening now in the Mideast has roots going back thousands of years. Thousands of years before there was a United States. Thousands of years before there was a Western world. The combatants probably wouldn’t admit to that but, it’s true.

Jews have been battling for many thousands of years for a homeland and they’ll likely battle more thousands of years to keep what they now have. While we Westerners may look at the fighting and killing as just another “skirmish” in the Mideast, the distrust – the hatred – goes further back than most of us can truly understand.

My father told me he’d like to live long enough to see peace in that historically war-torn region. He didn’t. I have much the same thought. But, peace there won’t happen in my lifetime. And, likely not in my children’s. Or their children’s children either.

The Ryan Zinkes of the world will keep the distrust and the hatred alive. You can bet on it. But, that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t prevail with understanding and love. That doesn’t mean we can’t overcome his ignorance with wise thought and wise action.

I’ll bet we can.

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