Huckleberries Online

Papa Heath’s Minority Slip Miffs Foes

Posted by DFO

Dec. 9, 2009 9:33 a.m. • 10 comments

Palin, though notoriously ill-travelled outside the United States, did journey far to the first of the four colleges she attended, in Hawaii. She and a friend who went with her lasted only one semester. “Hawaii was a little too perfect,” Palin writes. “Perpetual sunshine isn’t necessarily conducive to serious academics for eighteen-year-old Alaska girls.” Perhaps not. But Palin’s father, Chuck Heath, gave a different account to Conroy and Walshe. According to him, the presence of so many Asians and Pacific Islanders made her uncomfortable: “They were a minority type thing and it wasn’t glamorous, so she came home.” In any case, Palin reports that she much preferred her last stop, the University of Idaho, “because it was much like Alaska yet still ‘Outside’”/Sam Tanenhaus, New Yorker. More here. And: “Sarah Palin’s dad and ‘the minority type thing’/The Scavenger, San Francisco Chronicle.

Question: Would you rather live in Hawaii or North Idaho?

10 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

Stickman on December 09 at 9:47 a.m.
I love both places, but given the choice, probably the Islands.
tarynahecker on December 09 at 10:15 a.m.
Now that I’ve duct taped plastic over my windows and unpacked my long johns I might as well stay put.
JeanC on December 09 at 10:25 a.m.
This time of year I would LOVE to be living in Hawaii, then when spring rolls around, back to North Idaho :D
scootermom on December 09 at 10:31 a.m.
Some days, I can almost feel the tropical breezes ….

Today isn’t one of those days. I’m chipping ice off my windshield and cursing.
jazzyvandal on December 09 at 11:41 a.m.
Can I live in both? I’ll go over to Hawaii for winter and stay in Idaho for spring and summer.
Sisyphus on December 09 at 11:48 a.m.
Funny how ‘Palin’ is nowhere in the title, Dave. ;-)
fortboise on December 09 at 1:25 p.m.
Both places have their charms. Asking the question on a day when Boise is “enjoying” temperatures in the teens and not enough snow to go ride makes it a bit unfair.

I’d like to be in Hawaii for a little while. It would have been fun to be on the North Shore of Oahu to see yesterday’s Eddie, in particular.
fortboise on December 09 at 1:27 p.m.
(In case my reference to “The Eddie” was too obscure, HuffPo’s got pix, and they’re awesome:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/09/the-eddie-hawaii-big-wave_n_385488.html
Stickman on December 09 at 3:19 p.m.
The Eddie is never too obscure. Thanks for the pix fort, but my sister is there for her birthday and she always ventures North to see the waves. Yesterday was a particular special birthday for her and she sent me some shots.