These contests usually have no winners

Seems Rep. Bob Nonini didn’t get the memo – you know, the one that sez: “Don’t get into a whizzing match with a skunk (i.e. journalists, opinion writers).” The House District 5 Repub did just that this week when he responded in writing to brickbats tossed his way by Jim Fisher and Tom Henderson of the Lewiston Tribune. Nonini didn’t exactly call out the dynamic duo in responding to criticism about his stands on education and abortion. But he did claim that the two were taking the easy way out by not contacting him prior to publishing barbed editorials. Fisher and Henderson, according to Nonini, “read what somebody else writes, dish up a few cheap shots and present them as ‘cutting-edge’ editorials.” Nonini didn’t stop there. “I was born and raised in Wallace and put up with a lot worse than that in the school yards,” he said. “But in Wallace, we had a name for people who said or did something without first confronting you. We called them ‘chicken.’ ” Obviously, Nonini doesn’t know that Fisher also lived in Wallace. In fact, Fisher gained a hard-nosed reputation by resigning from Harry Magnuson’s old Wallace newspaper decades ago in a front-page article denouncing the paper’s political coverage. No chicken there.

Bump, don’t run

Bonner County Sheriff Elaine Savage didn’t win sympathy from Huckleberries blog regulars after the story (SR, Feb. 8) surfaced about her bump-and-run mishap in Sandpoint. Remember? Savage backed into Debra Reichart’s 2006 Honda Pilot Jan. 7 and left the scene without noticing the nearly $800 dent on Reichart’s back bumper. Only to return and “fess up” when Reichart reported the mishap. Bob Salsbury contends Savage should be recalled: “That kind of conduct is unacceptable for a sheriff.” Thom George said he’s been victimized by a bump-and-runner: “I have no respect for anyone who would behave this way.” Berry Picker James Bond was also adamant: “Dishonesty in law enforcement is 100 percent unacceptable. She must go.” Berry Picker Sad But True offered: “The average citizen who makes such an ‘honest mistake’ will be arrested and will certainly do jail time and pay some stiff fines.” The average citizen wouldn’t land in Huckleberries for doing this sort of thing.

Huckleberries

Jeanne Perry sends along some address misspellings for Coeur d’Alene that she collected while living on Sky Harbor Drive: “Quarter Lane” (from a Connecticut tea bag company) and “Cordilane” (from a Nevada mailer) … Rumorama: Huckleberries hears that anti-LCDC activist Dan Gookin is kicking the tires for a possible GOPrimary threesome run for Rick Currie’s commission seat. Ex-CPD Blue police chief Tom Cronin’s already in … Last week, Richard Rosanova wondered why no one dug out that Citylink stop on Government Way, north of Appleway, after he saw a passenger slip from the top of an encroaching snow berm under the bus. Luckily, she emerged unscathed.

Parting shot

Am I the only one annoyed by those robo-calls from the Idaho delegation? On Tuesday, I was unwinding around 6:30 p.m., when the phone rang. Before I said, “hello,” Congressman Bill Sali’s recorded voice was inviting me to hang on for a town hall meeting. So I did. For a bit. A live Sali somewhere was explaining to “Bill (or Jim) from Lewiston” the impact of illegal immigration on Social Security. Seems you could press Star-3 to get in line to ask Sali a question. Sorta like talk radio. But the answers are more convoluted – and there aren’t parody songs dissing liberals. I listened for a bit. Thought to myself that it’s probably good PR for Idaho congressmen to conduct the telephone town halls. And wondered why Idaho congressional reps don’t respect my do-not-call status?