Racists see opportunity for growth
Supremacist Richard Butler is dead and his compound bulldozed. But that doesn’t mean racism in this region or country has vamoosed, too. In fact, the Southern Poverty Law Center reports the number of hate groups has gone up 50 percent in the past eight years, to 962 – a record. Earlier this month, Seattle’s KOMO News talked with 30-year-old racist Jerald O’Brien, who has stamped his skin with Aryan Nations symbols and has promised at Butler’s headstone “and my father, who art in heaven, that I would not let this die and I won’t lose my faith.” The Southern Poverty Law Center told KOMO there are three reasons for racist resurgence: exploitation of the illegal immigration issue, the crumbling economy, and the election of Barack Obama. O’Brien told KOMO “white America is waking up.” But Tony Stewart and Norm Gissel, who with the late Bill Wassmuth led the decades-long fight against Butler’s organization, predicted any attempt to resurrect the Aryan Nations in North Idaho will be met with stiff resistance. Stewart offers a bit of advice that I heard often while covering his human-rights group: “You never, never decrease the problem by ignoring it.” Anyone confused about the word “never”?
Condom confusion
A few days ago, Berry Picker Nick Adams was standing in line at his local market, when a 20-something woman discretely handed the clerk a large box of condoms. After the clerk rang them up, the young woman realized she didn’t have enough money to cover the purchase. “I’ve never seen anyone blush that deeply,” Nick commented. “She hurried over to the appropriate aisle and picked up a smaller quantity, came back and paid while I and the gentleman (in his 60s) in front of me waited patiently.” As she left, the 60-something gent remarked to the clerk, “She must’ve been expecting quite the marathon, but ya gotta wonder why it wasn’t the guy in here buying them?” The clerk replied, “Better one responsible than none.” Sounds like a good bumper sticker.
Huckleberries
In the “who’s-talking-about-us-now department,” Los Angeles Times reporter Christopher Reynolds checked in at the Bates Motel/CdA before writing this and more for the July 8 edition: “It sits along the gritty east end of Coeur d’Alene’s main drag. A Web site devoted to ‘haunted places in Idaho’ reports that ‘people have often reported ‘creepy feelings’ in Rooms 1 and 3.” Before or after they shower? … David Bond sez the largely successful attempt to bring free Wi-Fi to Wallace is “pretty cool.” Quoth: “You can hump your laptop around Wallace till you find a sunny spot, open the beasty up and surf, e-mail and blog to your heart’s content” … In the same day’s paper, the Coeur d’Alene Press offered a front-page headline re: a speech by state Sen. Mike Jorgenson on “immigration” and an advertisement headline inside about the same “emigration” talk. Seems our competitors don’t know if the problem’s coming or going … Last time Huckleberries checked on sneaky BNSF, the railroad had won 2-1 approval from Kootenai County for the controversial refueling depot near Hauser. In Whitefish, Mont., BNSF has upset locals by trying to buy trendy homes for the past four months, claiming that contamination exists. Now, the railroad admits there is no contamination. It was protecting itself from future liability. What’s that they say about a leopard?
Parting shot
Huckleberries hears … from roving taxi reporter Dave Turner that radio talk show jumbo Rush Limbaugh was playing golf with other cigar-smoking conservatives @ Gozzer Ranch on Lake Coeur d’Alene recently. Seems Limbaugh was touring a handful of golf courses around the country at the time. He described the area as 99.9% conservative. But local Demos need not worry that more conservatives will move to North Idaho. Limbaugh told his large, national audience Monday morning repeatedly that he was playing golf in Coeur d’Alene, IOWA.