banjomike's blog

I just heard on the news tonight that some legislators are planning to introduce a bill that is similar to Arizona's illegals deportation law, which just went into effect today, minus most of the enforcement teeth that was written into it.  read more »

The Idaho Republican Party just wrapped up it's convention here in Idaho Falls.

The planks the convention passed include:
• A mandatory loyalty oath for all Repub candidates, with penalties included for those who refuse to sign the oath.
• A closed primary.
• Payment of taxes in silver and gold if desired.
• A repeal of the 17th Amendment.
• A narrowly defeated resolution to allow private militias in the state. It was defeated because it was thought to be too expensive.  read more »

The recent Arizona illegal immigration law may not have come from the obvious reasons we all think.

Greg Palast, a writer who went to Arizona in 2008 to do a piece for Rolling Stone, thinks the real reason behind the law is to disenfranchise the Hispanic voters, who voted pretty solidly Democratic. And this is not Arizona Repub's first shot at disenfranchisement.

He thinks this law is another attempt, more subtle than the one that was attempted (and if he's right, seemed to work) that was written in 2008.  read more »

Here's a worthwhile read I got from the Big Orange.
David Frum, a thoughtful conservative columnist sums today's historic win accurately and concisely.

http://www.frumforum.com/waterloo

The more I watched the dismal saga of the Boise missionaries in Haiti unfold, the more I came to realize how truly 'Idaho' their thinking was. I did a long rant on Darlene's web site about it:

http://idahospeaks.com/  read more »

John Murtha died today from post-surgery complications. (read the operation got him all infected and the docs couldn't stop the strep in time).

I'm gonna miss him. Sure, he had ethical problems, and was the King of all Pork, but the man knew how to stand up and advocate for Democratic principles. In his prime, DeLay feared him. Gingrich feared him. Even Dick Cheney did not dare to tread on John Murtha. He was the muscle, sinews and spine of the party for a long time.

We need a lot more like him right now.

From Wednesday's Post-Register:

" Sorry, Sesame Street" by Wayne Hoffman
The state government of the 21st century should not include government-funded television, writes Wayne Hoffman.

Nostalgic sentiment for government television is no reason to continue funding it. Imagine, if you will, a brand new state called Idaho, born in the year 2010. What government services should this new state offer? Would this new 21st-century government really include a taxpayer-funded television network? Probably not, and the reason is simple: It's not needed. It's government waste.  read more »

Nick Draper, who has been covering Rammell like a blanket for the Post-Register, wrote another story that appeared this morning.

At a news conference Tuesday, Rex laid out his plans if he wins the Governor's seat. I'm sure Nicks full piece will hit AP soon, but here's a summary.

Rex wants to:
• Eliminate all personal and corporate state income taxes.
• Fund Idaho's education system with only the sales tax and local funding.
• Abolish all Health & Welfare funding for (his words) "the poor and unfortunate.  read more »

Rex is at it again.
Here's the story, written by Nick Draper for the Post-Register:

"Republican gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell held a news conference Wednesday in order to defend his decision to stage a series of meetings that would admit only active male members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"I am tired of people telling me I can't bring God and the Constitution into my campaign," said Rammell at a news conference held in his Ammon home. "As governor, I will be on my knees petitioning God to help me save this nation."  read more »

Blake Hall, former Repub bigshot from Idaho Falls, was sentenced yesterday after earlier pleading guilty to a stalking charge.

Hall's ex-girlfriend filed a complaint earlier this year, and court proceedings were slowed by Hall's association with the City of Idaho Falls, because he was a paid assistant and consultant to the city prosecutor, Dane Watkins II. In addition, Hall was also connected or well known to all the local judiciary.  read more »

The local Repub Central Committee tried once again to impose itself into the long-standing tradition of Idaho Falls' nonpartisan city elections.  read more »

I check out Redstate.com once in a while... they were actually one of the more rational Repub sites for quite a while, but over the year, they've all gone rabid over there.
This is a little hunk of the most disgustingly maudlin, self-pitying, funny, and creepy post I've read all week. More after the break:  read more »