Huckleberries: It’s the Kool-Aid that makes them so colorful

Idaho and many people around the nation are still buzzing about that “Keystone Kops” routine that served as the only Republican debate in the gubernatorial primary race. Various national media have highlighted the ramblings of fringe candidates Harley Brown and Walt Bayes. Brown, of course, infamously dubbed the race as one among “a cowboy, a curmudgeon, a biker or a normal guy.” Between them, Brown and Bayes offered 10 quotes that made a Huffington Post list: “10 lessons we learned from Idaho’s incredibly dysfunctional GOP candidates.” As cuh-razy as that debate was – and we had Governor Otter insisting that Laurel and Hardy join in – it’s not half as loony as a position held by a majority of candidates running for legislative office in Kootenai County – the repeal of the 17th amendment. Indeed, these officeholders and wannabes would rather have the Idaho Legislature pick the state’s two U.S. senators than Gem State voters. You won’t see this lunacy on their campaign material. But all of the following signed a loyalty oath to follow such nutty planks in the GOP platform as repeal of the 17th Amendment: Sen. Steve Vick, Rep. Vito Barbieri, Eric Redman, Sen. Bob Nonini, Rep. Ron Mendive, Don Cheatham, Jeff Ward, Mary Souza, Rep. Kathy Sims and Toby Schindelbeck. Harley Brown and Walt Bayes may be more colorful, but they aren’t the only Republican politicians drinking the Kool-Aid.

Blowing bubbles

Nic Casey, of Coeur d’Alene, lives in the type of neighborhood that we all should. On Wednesday, Nic Facebooked: “Just saw the most peculiar sight – a balding 30-something-year-old man wearing gym shorts, tubes socks, and dress shoes. Standing at the end of his driveway blowing bubbles. Big family-sized bottle of bubbles in his hand. No kids around. Just him. Spinning around in circles waving the bubble wand in the air.” Mebbe that’s how Lawrence Welk got his start … On her Facebook wall after the zany guv debate, moderator Melissa Davlin of Idaho Public Television lamented: “I did my best to keep the conversation on track while showing respect to everyone on stage.” Davlin’s level-headed performance was one of the few saving graces of the debate.

Huckleberries

Poet’s Corner: “The robin’s song/we think a treat/to little worms/may sound less sweet” – The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“A Matter of Perspective”) … BTW, when asked which of the four candidates for Idaho governor fit Harley Brown’s description of “normal guy,” a plurality of 49.3 percent responded: “None of the above” … Last week, state Sen. Bob Nonini filed a police report about stolen yard signs, saying he suspects a person or group took 50 to 60 of his signs. It isn’t an official political campaign in Kootenai County until someone files a stolen sign complaint … Sign of the Times (on the outer wall of the Rathdrum Dashco): “Men to the left because women are always right” … According to the Slate’s Mental Floss blog, the language most spoken in Idaho, other than English or Spanish, is (drum roll, puh-LEEZ) – German. And in Washington? Vietnamese.

Parting shot

Methinks that photo posted on Huckleberries Online was key to WSU responding swiftly to a claim that Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters and male guests peed freely at Coeur d’Alene’s City Park – you know, the one by cellphone that shows five immodest sorority members relieving themselves against the back wall of the North Idaho Museum. No blog photo. Mebbe no punishment. A photo, indeed, is worth one thousand words. Or denials. Which brings Huckleberries to a Facebook comment made by former S-R buddy Taryn Thompson: “Going on a field trip to the North Idaho Museum this afternoon with a group of fourth-graders. I hope they behave better than the Wazzu sorority sisters.”