In 1990, as the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment representative for Eastern Washington, I attended a meeting in Boise, and Gov. Cecil Andrus was our keynote speaker. Gov. Andrus emphasized throughout his speech that the state of Idaho, according to the national press, was well-known for potatoes and Nazis. Gov. Andrus went on to say that we could not let 5 percent of our population define who we were, as citizens of the state of Idaho. Let us not let the far-right and ultra-right nationally define who we are.

I would really like to thank Gov. Andrus for saying that since the Aryan Nations is now deceased of leadership and the citizens of Idaho and Eastern Washington are more involved with apples and potatoes and creating jobs to feed one’s family. I was honored, as my family was honored, to listen to an elected official who had a history of promoting education and protecting our environment, particularly protecting students in an educational environment against bullying.

Gov. Andrus was focused on the opposite of partisan ideological division. He truly cared about how can we improve your quality of life, no matter whether you favor red or blue.

James Gordon Perkins

Colville