Human-rights conference gets hand from Hattiesburg

That cross-the-border press conference staged to oppose local racists circulating hate literature was felt all the way down in Mississippi. Seems Jackie Bland and her family from Hattiesburg, Miss., visited the area shortly after the Aryan Nations wannabes conducted their literature drop. About that time, Mayor Sandi Bloem, Police Chief Wayne Longo, human- rights activist Tony Stewart and others met with mayors, police chiefs and other dignitaries from Spokane and Kootenai counties at the state line to denounce the material. In a recent letter to the editor of the Hattiesburg American, Bland wrote: “I thought that this reaction by local leadership was astonishing as I was from the South and had never witnessed leadership calling out such acts. I also thought how wonderful it is for leadership to set the tone to what is and is not acceptable behavior.” And you thought no one noticed?

Insert foot

So Merry Huckster Phil Corless and his family were enjoying a fall Saturday at Silverwood when Phil ran into S-R photog Jesse Tinsley and another man. Jesse asked Phil if he and his crew planned to enjoy the haunted attractions at the park. Which provided a perfect opening for Phil to bellyache about what he considered was “the horrible marketing Silverwood had done toward season pass holders.” After the tirade, Jesse introduced Phil to his escort for the day – Layne Pitcher, the marketing manager for Silverwood. Don’t you hate when that happens?

Huckleberries

The Spokesman-Review Editorial Board got the endorsements for Coeur d’Alene mayor and the three council positions spot on. Mayor Bloem deserves her unprecedented third four-year term. The three incumbents (Mike Kennedy, Deanna Goodlander and Woody McEvers) earned re-election, too. (See: Kroc Center, library, Prairie Trail, Riverstone, Riverstone Pond, Midtown upgrade and too many other things to mention here) … Two North Idaho College instructors are so H1N1-phobic, sez Sentinel Chokecherries, that they canceled classes for fear of being infected. Another one requires students to submit electronic copies of assignments in order to avoid germs that may be lurking on paper copies. Ain’t nothin’ to sneeze at … I’d love to have been a fly on the wall to hear the chat between that kid at Black Sheep Monday and his parents – you know, the 13YO who locked a smaller boy in the store safe for 25 minutes … Huckleberries Poll: 71 percent (80 of 112 respondents) of my online crew, including local Demo chief Thom George, bear arms … Overheard (before the recent Demo Club candidates’ forum): Councilman Mike Kennedy, a well-known Demo, admitting to county GOP vice-chair Duane Rasmussen that he voted for George H. W. Bush in 1988 but not in 1992 when senior Bush ran unsuccessfully for re-election against Bill Clinton. Explained Mike: “I had my eyes opened” … Scanner Traffic (from 12:09 p.m. Monday): A woman picked up a hitchhiker at Kingston who told her that he was on his way to Sandpoint with a knife to take out as many people as he can before killing himself. She dropped him off at Super One/Kathleen Avenue and called the cops. Be careful out there.

Parting Shot

Huckleberries hears that Sheriff Rocky Watson bumped his captains to majors last month. Which is cheaper than giving them pay raises. Hence, now-Major Ben Wolfinger, the KCSD spokesman, sent local media an Internet link to that Boise story re: a loose dog that caused three separate accidents on a Boise freeway last week, along with this note: “For those of you who were still wondering why a dog was shot on the Interstate a few weeks ago, here is a perfect example of what can happen when decisive action is not taken to protect the public.” Any questions?