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Posts published in June 2026

Pay it forward in Ukraine

June 29, 2026

As Americans gear up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, we must never forget those stirring words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The signers knew that full equality did not reign at the time, but the words gave inspiration and direction to future generations to accomplish that goal. We are still a work in progress.

King George III and Great Britain were highly incensed by the Declaration and were not about to acquiesce. They moved to put down the rebellion, increasing their forces and the ferocity of the violence as time went by. The Ken Burns six-episode series, recently aired on Public Television, gives a remarkable narration of the struggle. It is well worth watching during this time of celebration.

The Patriots were aware that they needed powerful allies for the revolution to succeed and sent Benjamin Franklin to Paris to enlist the French in our cause. The colonials had fared rather poorly in the early stages of the war. The French were reluctant to commit until it could be shown that we had a reasonable chance of winning. The Patriot victories at the two battles of Saratoga in the Fall of 1777 provided that showing.

The French officially entered the war early in 1778 and declared war on Great Britain later that year. France’s main contribution to victory was the fact that it was contesting the British in many areas across the globe, particularly the lucrative sugar-producing Caribbean islands. The cost of defending its wide-spread territory became too great for the British, causing them to lose enthusiasm for continuation of the American hostilities.

The Revolutionary War provides a powerful narrative. A feisty little wannabe nation tirelessly fighting to throw off the yoke of a powerful oppressor and willing to risk it all for freedom and self-determination. Just the right opening for a benevolent world power to step in and help out.

As it turns out, the United States had an opportunity to return the favor by coming to the aid of France in two world wars in the last century. Although the US has been involved in many conflicts, skirmishes and wars since our revolution, there has not been another one that quite fits the narrative of the Revolutionary War. Well, not until Russia’s genocidal war against Ukraine.

There is an interesting parallel between our revolution and the war that Russia’s dictator, Vladimir Putin, has been prosecuting against the Ukrainians. The old Soviet Union gained full control over Ukraine in 1920 and maintained a tight grip over the country until the Soviet Empire disintegrated in 1991.

Putin, a devoted Soviet, has done all in his power to reconstruct the Soviet Union, to include the subjugation of Ukraine. The Ukrainians, much like the American Patriots in 1776, are not willing to live under those oppressive conditions. When Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, much of the world believed that he would succeed. But the people of that pugnacious country have consistently demonstrated that they will risk everything for freedom and self-determination.

The United States initially responded by providing substantial military aid to the Ukrainians, but with nonsensical limitations on how and where powerful weapons could be used. As the war slogged on, America’s leadership changed hands, resulting in severe cutbacks in lethal aid. The US government even pushed the Ukrainians to cave to Russian demands to cede territory and take other needless actions that would endanger its ability to maintain its freedom and self-determination. Their President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was told in the White House that he had no cards to play.

Zelenskyy and his Ukrainian Patriots were having none of it. They essentially channeled Patrick Henry’s historic words, “Give me liberty or give me death.” They have intensified their efforts, innovated new battlefield strategies, used cutting-edge technology to develop remarkable new weaponry, and started to turn the tide against a lumbering, exhausted Russian military. They have indeed shown that they have the will and staying power to eventually maintain their freedom.

Ukraine is the epitome of that feisty collection of American colonies, risking all to preserve their way of life and showing they have the desire and ability to prevail. Now is the time for the United States to pay it forward by providing Ukraine the resources and support it needs to follow in the footsteps of our great nation–the nation that will be celebrating its similar journey to freedom on this Fourth of July.

That being said, the ultimate answer as to whether we should provide substantial support to Ukraine is if it will serve the national security interests of the United States. The answer is a resounding “Yes.” Russia and China are the most significant threats to America’s national security. China is a powerhouse, which threatens to eclipse the United States, both economically and militarily, unless we wake up and take appropriate action to keep that from happening. But that is another story.

Russia is a declining nation, but with its vast nuclear arsenal and malign attitude toward the US and our NATO allies, it is the greater immediate threat. Ukraine is grinding down Putin’s conventional warfare capabilities every day on the battlefield. That is occurring to our great advantage, without any risk to the personnel of America and our allies. The least we can do for Ukraine is to provide the support necessary to achieve a suitable outcome to the war.

The members of Idaho’s Congressional delegation, with the exception of Rep. Russ Fulcher, have in past years acknowledged that we need to provide Ukraine the support it needs to survive. During the last year or so, they have been too frightened of political retaliation from the top of our government to do anything about it. Chief of the cowards is Senator Jim Risch, who knows what is at stake and should be shouting from the rooftops of Washington about the critical need to help that beleaguered nation. We can only hope that the members of our delegation will find their voices and do what needs to be done to keep the US and our NATO allies safe from the Russian threat. Or that voters will replace them with people who have the courage to do the job.

 

Wildfires and AI

Wildfires and AI

June 28, 2026

Oregon and the Northwest generally have gotten off light so far this year when it comes to wildfires. That can change and probably will, because wildfires tend to take a worsening turn in the month or so ahead.

But starting this year, we may have some new tools for planning for their arrival.

As of June 25, the National Interagency Fire Center has reported a total 35,118 fires nationwide burning 2.9 million acres — both numbers considerably higher for this point in the year than any year in the last decade and well above the average this century. The northwest, with its fire-friendly weather and other conditions this year, is unlikely to escape for much longer.

In fact, the Oregon Department of Forestry said June 15 that all of its forestry districts are now considered to be in fire season. Fire Protection Division Chief Michael Curran said that “Looking at the current conditions and projections for the summer, ODF is prepared to have another busy fire season.”

Apart from the usual preparation efforts of assembling firefighters, equipment and supplies, is there anything Oregon can do to get ready?

Might this, in part, be a job for artificial intelligence?

An April 10 report from Oregon State University and the Nature Conservancy offers what amount to predictive tools about wildfire probabilities, including some factors wildfire analysts may have missed in the past.

Their model breaks wildfire risk into three groups of factors. One of them, wildfire hazard, includes the probability and intensity of burns, and researchers over the years ordinarily have considered them. Relative dryness, availability of burnable material, climate changes and other environmental considerations are all readily reduced to numbers.

But the new study also includes two more major areas: Infrastructure vulnerability (structural and neighborhood characteristics and defensible space) and social vulnerability (demographics, socioeconomics and types of housing and transportation), both of which seem a little less obvious.

The ability of an area to resist major fires can be broken down into specific physical factors (access to water, materials to block fire, easily burnable buildings or other materials). And detailed information about those factors can be developed at a hyperlocal level using Census and other other data.

In other words, the relative fire risk of the places we live based on elements ranging from building materials to how development is concentrated or scattered can be reduced to a specific number — and implicitly, more factors besides those. The study found large degrees of social vulnerability around the Cascade and Coastal ranges and across much of eastern Oregon, though the most vulnerable tracts were widely scattered.

The writers made the point that they weren’t trying to establish specific cause-and-effect relationships between fires and community statistics, but simply that certain of these things tended to go together. From that, over time, researchers could start to focus in on risk factors.

In the new study, all these things were developed for about 400 communities in Oregon and Washington.

For example, co-author Chris Dunn from the OSU College of Forestry said, “Warm Springs and Goldendale have slightly lower wildfire exposure than some nearby, better-resourced communities like Bend and Leavenworth, but they experience greater social vulnerability and therefore are likely to experience greater impacts if a fire occurred. By blending a mix of factors, our assessment method is a path toward more equitable investments in community wildfire risk reduction.”

The manipulation of vast amounts of information and assessment of new patterns and sets of probabilities is very much in the wheelhouse of AI, artificial intelligence. Its use in wildfire analysis has not been central yet, but could become more so.

For example: An extensive September 2025 academic study based in Switzerland titled AI for Wildfire Management: From Prediction to Detection, Simulation, and Impact Analysis looked into the uses even at that point, and existing limits, for AI in fire prediction and planning for containment.

It said “the main domains of wildfire management where AI has been applied — susceptibility mapping, prediction, detection, simulation, and impact assessment — and highlight critical limitations that hinder practical adoption. These include challenges with dataset imbalance and accessibility, the inadequacy of commonly used metrics, the choice of prediction formats, and the computational costs of large-scale models, all of which reduce model trustworthiness and applicability.”

Some of these constraints could be eased as the technology progresses.

Whether the OSU and Nature Conservancy used AI in developing their reports didn’t seem entirely clear, but going forward AI looks like exactly the sort of tool that might be useful in working our areas of risk from wildfire.

Oregon may need all the help it can get.

This column originally appeared in the Oregon Capital Chronicle.

 

The plank

The plank

June 26, 2026

Before we get to what the Idaho Republican Party did at its just-ended convention, we need to review a couple of other things.

One is the cheerful wrap-up comment from Dorothy Moon, just re-elected to a third term as party chair. In her e-mail message, she said, “Debates within the Idaho GOP during the primary election and at the state convention have been intense, as they should be. Now, we stand united not only to keep Idaho red, but to keep Idaho a place where all life is valued.”

One party, united, period. Got it. And this is totally consistent with messages implicit and explicitly from the party in recent years..

The second point is enforcement of that unity. Shortly before the primary election, the party sent to the candidates running in its primary a document seeking their affirmation that they agree with all of the party’s platform. Some candidates disagreed with a point here or there, but many simply said that yes, they sign on with everything.

It’s more than paperwork. In recent years, party leaders have insisted that Republican officials, notably legislators, vote and speak in strict accordance with the party’s platform and resolutions - and have gone after those who veered from the party line. One good example is Representative Lori McCann of Lewiston, who was repeatedly censured by county Republican central committees for voting differently than the party dictated. Last month she lost a primary election in her district.

Unity and follow the party line. Do not stray from it. That’s the message from the Idaho Republican Party.

Now let’s consider one piece of this year’s party message, approved at the recent convention, a plank in the platform, advanced by the former and likely future state Senator Scott Herndon:

“We believe property tax is incompatible with true private property ownership. A tax that allows the government to place a lien on and ultimately seize a citizen's home for nonpayment is fundamentally at odds with the right to own property. No Idahoan should face the loss of their home because they cannot keep up with a government assessment of what their property might sell for. We support the elimination of property taxes to protect the private property rights of all Idahoans.”

Simpler: End property taxation in Idaho. Period.

We’ll put aside the fact (which Herndon seems to ignore) of stiff legal consequences for non-payment of other forms of taxes (income and sales), which depending on the situation can be as severe as nonpayment of property taxes.

Herndon has said the state can make up for that loss of more than $2 billion in property tax revenue, which is not the only source but a key underpinning for local government in Idaho, including cities, counties, schools, roads and much more.

Around $400 million of that goes to public schools. Herndon said he would support moving all support for public schools to direct funding by the state, which in itself is not a terrible idea - but imagine the Idaho Legislature approving the additional taxes it would take to do that, and you’ll quickly see what a fantasy this is. And he said he isn’t calling for any increase in the sales or income tax.

That would be consistent with the rest of the platform. While the Republican platform specifically calls for eliminating the property tax, it nowhere suggests replacing the lost revenue with anything else. To the contrary: The platform advises, “We support lower federal, state, and local taxes.” Period.

But Herndon also suggested growth could make up for the loss in property taxes. History, local and national, makes clear what a delusion that is. You could’ve asked Reagan appointee David Stockman about the lessons he learned on that subject 40 years ago and gotten the same answer.

Democratic legislator Ilana Rubel suggested the property tax plank is “just intended to be kind of a crowd pleaser of, ‘Hey, don’t you hate property tax? Here, we want to end it,’ without any credible plan of how they would backfill that revenue.”

I wouldn’t be so sure. This is after all the Idaho Republican Party of strict ideological discipline. And the party line has been dictated. How many legislators next session will be willing to run afoul of it?

 

Rewind: A dismal performance

June 24, 2026

I was a journalistic "young pup' when I started covering the Idaho Legislature in early 1967.  Young in both age and experience.

But, after all these 60-plus years, I still remember the basic tenets of Idaho Republicanism: strong local responsibility and local control.  The Legislature - for many years - practiced that philosophy.  It also strongly opposed "unfunded mandates" - government at any level imposing something without funding it.

Then, something changed.  As years went on, the Idaho Legislature became a "mother hen" and local governing bodies became the "chicks" to be directed and/or disciplined at will.

Also, there was a distinct emergence of "conservative" thought that tilted toward authoritarianism in Republican ranks.  Cities and counties - even school boards - began receiving not only unfunded mandates, but prohibitions against this and that.  The City of Boise was a favorite target.

The most recent evidence is the law banning state school funding if, in some way, students are "forced to adopt or adhere to" a belief that an individual is somehow responsible for actions committed in the past by members of their race or identity group.

Further, schools may not teach that one identity group is 'superior."  There are words like "critical race theory" and "liberal indoctrination" thrown around.  Seems the folks on the third floor in Boise believe such is already being taught in Idaho schools.

So much for "local responsibility" and "local control."  Shot to hell.

Then, you've got ol' Mitch McConnell joining the chorus.  In a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, he wants all schools in the country to "abandon curriculum" that McConnell claims is "telling a revisionist history of America's founding."

Bottom line is McConnell and Idaho's legislature are trying to keep students from being taught anything dealing with a New York Times research project called "Project 1619."  Period.

McConnell claims - and the Idaho Legislature apparently agrees - the project "re-orients" the view of American history "away from its intended purpose toward a politicized and divisive agenda."

"Project 1619" was first published last year and quickly became a target of today's "conservatives" nationwide.  In actuality, it re-frames American history around the date of August, 1619, when the first slave ship arrived on our shores.  All the clamor is about the Project's claim the legacy of slavery has helped shape the nation's history, especially as it relates to treatment of Black Americans. That's it!

California uses the Project's curriculum.  Other school districts in other states are considering it.  Republicans are claiming - falsely - that the federal government is "forcing" local districts to follow California's lead.  Pure B.S..

While the federal Department of Education has proposed offering grant money to school districts to incentivize use of the program, it cannot "force" use of any materials.  Adoption - or rejection - of "Project 1619" is entirely in the hands of local school boards.  As it should be.

But, Idaho politicians have now forbidden any local board from even considering the program.

The use of "Project 1619" material - like sex education and other "hot button" politicizing - is a LOCAL matter.  Local school boards should be free to pick and choose what classes should be taught.  But, legislators have decided they know best - they know what every local school board in Idaho needs to do.  And NOT do.

By their action - and with Governor Little's signature - this new Idaho law, again, s hoots more holes in the vaunted Republican history of "local control."

The current Idaho Legislature - based on very solid evidence - has been described by long-time observers as the "worst legislative session in Idaho history."  I strongly agree.

As a body, it has acted as though modern thought and contemporary life are antithetical to what today's Idaho lifestyle and environment should be.  It's passed restrictive legislation forbidding other levels of government from acting in their own local interests.

It has foolishly struck down necessary - and constitutionally required - state funding for public schools and higher education.  It has wasted valuable time and other resources by grandstanding about this and that.  It has consistently ignored public opinion on many issues.  It has turned a deaf ear to voter desires while engaging itself in mindless "conservative" debate.

There's a distinct difference in what Idahoans seem to want on various issues from the backward direction of the Idaho Legislature.  To change that direction - if polling is accurate - people responding to pollsters need to march straight to a voting booth and turn their responses into votes.  Votes that can make a difference.

There's a strong need right now for those old Republican values of thrift, honoring local government control, listening to the voter's voice  And responding.

Sometimes, the best way forward is to honor the past.  And act accordingly.

This column originally appeared in 2021.

Kuna outside the kave

Kuna outside the kave

June 19, 2026

Three decades ago in Boise I attended a stand-up comedy night where the traveling comedian seized on the local place name “Kuna,” and kept scoring off it all night. It seemed so remote, and rural, and it sounded - what? - a little funny. Must’ve seemed a good comedy word.

Times change. Kuna never was especially remote, even if it was a little out of the way. The Kuna Kave (which I once descended into, in what then felt like an eerie experience) is still there, and still gives the local high school a mascot name, but it’s a lot less central to the identity of the area now.

The Kuna I knew from 40 or 50 years ago still largely exists, mainly around the downtown area which seems preserved in a time capsule. Almost everything around it is transformed. Back then, say in 1980, Kuna’s population was 1,767. Now, the number is approaching 20 times that.

The new hallmarks of Kuna are the subdivision and the strip mall. This is, after all, one of the fastest - maybe the fastest, with Eagle - growing communities in Idaho.

In the Ada-Canyon metroplex, a word that genuinely might be applied to it these days, Kuna is at a southern edge; all that lies between it and the Snake River canyon and birds of prey area to the south is miles of straight-up desert. Some what is now urbanized Kuna used to be farmland or rangeland, but some was open desert by the Snake River Birds of Prey Area.

Much of Kuna today looks like a replicant of the other suburban Ada and Canyon areas, as if someone had copied large pieces of Meridian and pasted them a few miles south. Meridian and Kuna, once clearly separated by seven miles or more, retain a visible gap between them, but one one much thinner and likely to mostly fill in before long.

The explosive growth around Kuna to the south of the Boise area and Eagle to the north represent expansions about as close to the center of the urban mass as realistically possible. Growth to the west - beyond Caldwell - and to the east - well east of Micron Technology and what used to be the Boise Outlet Mall - still seem like a bridge too far. But maybe not if the new casino, business and residential developments planned for the Mayfield area really start to take off.

This suggests the Boise area still has some cohesion, with Boise itself still the center hub of commerce, government and employment, along with much of the social activity.

But that may not be a fair assumption. Meridian is becoming a business behemoth on its own (just count with big office buildings there near I-84, not to mention elsewhere), and businesses looking to build on not-too-expensive land already has led many to start to look at places like Eagle - and Kuna.

Bringing us to the development at Kuna (encouraged by state tax exemptions) of two massive data centers, developed by Meta (the Facebook people) and Diode Ventures. Diode, explaining why it chose Kuna as a location, said, “Agencies, chambers, and economic organizations throughout Idaho undertook concerted efforts to attract data centers to the state because of the recognition of the community investment with a low developmental impact of these types of projects. Over the course of several years, this advocacy helped create a welcoming environment for IT infrastructure providers to set up shop, help grow the state’s technology sector and stimulate the creation of tech-related jobs. Diode identified Kuna as an ideal location …”

There are challenges to both centers, and concerns which include a number of issues, foremost being water: Since data centers use a lot of it (often really tremendous amounts), and since there’s not a lot outside the already diminishing aquifer underground. Both the state of Idaho (through the Department of Water Resources) and the Idaho Water Users Association have warned about the possible impacts on long-term water supply.

If water demands from data centers and residential expansion combined put enough pressure on the water supply, that may force an eventual limit to Kuna’s expansion. The question to come may be how severe that pain has to be before limitations are imposed.

Most likely, severe indeed, and there’s nothing funny about that.

 

What’s wrong with Brad?

June 18, 2026

When I was in the Idaho Senate, Brad Little presided as the President of the Senate. He was the elected Lieutenant Governor. Butch Otter sat in the Governor’s office on the second floor of the Capitol.

All us Senators were cautioned to only refer to “The Governor” when we were debating a bill as “the gentleman on the second floor”. Maybe he had threatened a veto, maybe he supported, but it was crucial to maintain the separation of the different branches. That discipline of speech, enforced by the President, Brad Little over us Senators with the gavel, made me appreciate the importance of the separation of our duties. And of the clear distinction in the Idaho Constitution of the separation of powers.

The legislature elected every two years has a primary duty to our electorate, the people. We controlled expenditures. If the executive branch thought something should be done, but we didn’t, we didn’t give them the money.

This is written clearly in the Idaho Constitution.

The legislature couldn’t control the executive branch. Nor could the Executive branch direct the legislature. These bodies had a separate, but unified goal: to serve the state.

But the bodies, the legislature and the Governor, might have different visions.

So why don’t they just get together and agree?

That would be a different form of government than our Constitution directed.

I was always impressed when Butch wouldn’t cross this line. Honestly, I didn’t find Governor Otter impressive most times. But he knew the principles of governance, and he honored them and stood by them. He tried to persuade the legislature, but he honored the separation of the roles.

Brad has forgotten this. Maybe he is taking a lesson from his mentor in the White House.

Honest disagreements are what our governance structure expected and built into the framework in our Constitutions.

Brad has shit on this. Our Governor has given over the function of the executive branch to the legislative. While that might seem a niggling, whiny complaint, and I’ll agree, it does sound so, it gets to the principle of the work we elect these folks to do.

Stand up for us.

Stand up for your office.

Stand up for something.

Brad is not standing up.

He’s not standing up for the separation of powers our Constitution demands. He’s not standing up for the office of Governor of the State of Idaho. He’s not standing up for us, who elected him.

Here’s just some of the evidence.

Trump and our Idaho congressional delegation cut Medicaid funding in their One Big Beautiful Bill. They knew our rural hospitals would be gutted. So they offered some cheese.

We are mice, eh?

Five years of big money grants to ease the pain. So now we scramble for their cheese.

Brad set up a committee to review this.

Did they meet? There are no minutes for us to review.

Then the Idaho Legislature took charge. This was a clear Constitutional violation.

And Brad did what he does. He shrugged.

Hundreds of millions of health care funding will leave this state. Does a tenth, a hundredth of that bother Syringa General in Grangeville or Lost Rivers in Arco or Benewah Community Hospital in St Maries?

It should bother you.

We all should be working for a sustainable solution.

Brad gave some wimpy legislators the handle on this weak money. They don’t care if your small-town hospital dies.

Brad doesn’t seem to care either.

He can see the writing on the wall. Our government just doesn’t seem to care.

So why should he?

I’ve known Brad for a few years. I’ve drunk beer and laughed with him. He’s better than this.

What’s wrong?

Has he bought in to the bigger MAGA vision to tear it all down?

Brad, what’s wrong?

 

A news nonprofit niche

June 17, 2026

Clark Corbin, a veteran reporter with the Idaho Capital Sun who has covered 15 legislative sessions, could work at any number of media outlets in Idaho.

But he’s not looking to move on anytime soon. He relishes working with editor Christina Lords, a longtime friend and colleague. He also enjoys the freedom that goes with a nonprofit news agency – which earlier this year celebrated five years of operation.

“We’ve had success because of Christina and her leadership, but being a nonprofit means not having to deal with advertising … not selling anything or having paywalls … not having to worry about page views or digital clicks,” he said. “Before coming here, I worked with Idaho Education News, a nonprofit that has been around for more than 10 years. I like working with a nonprofit and I’m happy to be a part of that movement.”

It’s a movement that is not confined to the Capital Sun, or Idaho Education News. The Salt Lake Tribune is one of a growing list of metropolitan newspapers that have gone the nonprofit route. The Capital Sun’s parent organization is States Newsroom, which as Lords describes as a team of old-school journalists who are trying to salvage journalistic traditions in a world of seeing shrinking newsrooms.

“When I interviewed for this job, I was asked what was going uncovered in Idaho,” Lords said. “It’s education, health care and the environment. There are so many coverage gaps, and newspaper staffs continue to shrink.”

Lords, known for her staunch advocacy to her staff, apparently presented a convincing case. States Newsroom hired her as editor and greenlit the hiring of top-flight reporters who are familiar, and trusted names, to readers and sources. Today’s reporting staff consists of Lords, Corbin, Laura Guido and Kyle Pfannenstiel – reporters with institutional knowledge and plenty of versatility.

The Capital Sun does not have an “education” reporter, because that topic is well covered by Idaho Education News.

“I want reporters to work on things that matter to them,” Lords says. “There are negative vibes about being a journalist in 2026, with talk about ‘fake news’ and ‘enemy of the people.’ Journalism is a hard industry, and there’s a lot of uncertainty. But working with these journalists is not hard. I’ve surrounded myself with smart, hard-working and energetic people who care about Idaho.”

The staff wins its share of Idaho Press Club awards, but Lords says that is not the measure of success with the Capital Sun. Lords is more interested in the outlets picking up the Capital Sun’s stories – which are offered free of charge – and she tracks where those stories appear. A good number of stories have received national exposure.

“Nearly every Idaho newspaper picks up our work,” Lords says. “People in my hometown (Pocatello) have the same access to what’s happening at the Capitol as people who read the Idaho Press or Idaho Statesman. A growing number of TV stations are using our material.”

Nonprofits, of course, don’t survive on wishful thinking. The States Newsroom has 39 outlets, including Idaho, and more than 1,000 contributors nationwide.

“We’ve had an impact over the last five years and I’m fortunate to be a part of it,” Corbin says. “But it’s not replacing what was lost. We’re seeing newsrooms shrinking, laying off reporters and some positions going dark. Five years ago, there were people who had the good sense to realize that something like this (Capital Sun) was needed in Idaho.”

For Corbin, helping people understand public policy during legislative sessions “gives me a lot of purpose and sense of duty to get through it. I don’t know what the future holds for the Capital Sun or me, but the Idaho Capital Sun is a great place for me.”

And it is an example of the impact that nonprofits have in Idaho.

Chuck Malloy, an Idaho native and long-time journalist and columnist, is a volunteer writer with the Idaho Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Center. He may be reached at ctmalloy@outlook.com

 

Far side of a good idea

Far side of a good idea

June 16, 2026

My wife volunteered for years in dog rescue efforts around the region, and her experiences made clear to me that Oregon’s animal cruelty and mistreatment laws were inadequate and needed strengthening.

So when Initiative Petition 28, billed as doing something like that, pulled the mass of signatures needed for ballot status, it sounded welcome.

Then I read proposed law and descriptions — especially from the advocates themselves — of what it would actually do. Even its backers acknowledge it’s unlikely to pass (once word of the details spreads more widely). If it actually did — and were fully enforced — it would unleash economic and social chaos in Oregon beyond any previous piece of legislation. And it would be intended as a template for any other states so foolish as to follow suit.

Republicans have lined up against it, as in gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan’s statement on X that “Banning hunting, fishing, and basic animal husbandry would kill thousands of jobs and threaten our food supply at a time when we can least afford it.”

Republicans may well try to tie the initiative to Democrats, though there’s been strong opposition there too. One example is Gov. Tina Kotek, who said: “I know tribal leaders, family farmers and ranchers and Oregonians across the state who care deeply about protecting our land, waters and wildlife. This petition does nothing to help that, and it risks criminalizing common agricultural practices that are critical to Oregon’s economy.”

What’s more notable here is what the advocates themselves say.

IP 28 applies to “any nonhuman mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian or fish,” though insects would be excluded, so swatting a mosquito would remain legal. It does ban any injury to the covered species, the main exception being that humans still would be allowed to act in self-defense. The group said specifically that “we are focused specifically on criminalizing the practice of killing animals.”

It said the initiative “would prohibit the intentional injury and killing of animals, as well as the forced breeding of animals.” However, IP28 adds a rehabilitation program as an alternative to other criminal penalties. In lieu of a misdemeanor, anyone convicted of animal cruelty could choose to complete supervised community service hours at an animal care facility as well as relinquish ownership of any animals for either five or 15 years, depending on the severity of the conviction.”

The list of animal-related actions to be criminalized would be extensive. Fishing and hunting would be illegal and criminal, and that would apply to longstanding agreements with Indian tribes in the state: “There would not be a cultural or religious exemption for injuring, killing, or sexually violating an animal.”

Production of meat products (where any vertebrate is involved) in the state would be prohibited. The group said “a rancher would likely no longer have a reason to raise cattle. … We would encourage ranchers to transition to an alternative agriculture practice.”

Easy for them to say, as they did: “A determined soul will always manage.”

Use of slaughterhouses and of animals in medical experiments (which in some cases are critical for advancing medical care) would be not just subject to regulation but banned outright.

You have a mouse or rat infestation in your house? The advocates say “live catch mouse traps” still would be available to you, but most other approaches to combatting the rodents, including anything that might kill them, would not. Your core response — and this approach evidently would be the operative rule for pest control businesses (any that survived) as well — apparently would be “locating the spaces where mice may enter our home or business and blocking the passageway.”

People would still be able to own pets, the advocates noted. But clearly the rules surrounding pet ownership would change considerably.

The impacts of this measure, were it to become law, would affect the daily lives of nearly everyone in Oregon. It would wipe out whole categories of industries. It would lead quickly to social chaos — no too extreme a description. Its scope would be breathtaking.

I would have suspected all this as being exaggeration by opponents were it not for the descriptions that come straight from the issue’s advocates. It seems an example of what happens when an initially sound idea — avoiding cruelty to animals — is pushed too far and too fast. It may set back that cause by many years.

As a matter of politics, Republicans are on solid ground in opposing the initiative. Democrats will need to act visibly and aggressively against it to ensure they’re not handcuffed to it, since to many non-Democrats IP 28 easily could sound like the kind of thing an extremist Democrat might conceive.

As a matter of election, IP 28 would be lucky to get the super-minority vote the transportation funding package got in the primary election — if voters learn the details. But any issue reaching the ballot has to be taken seriously.

One good thing the advocates did was to make that relatively easy.

This column originally appeared in the Oregon Capital Chronicle.

 

Ignoring the constitution

Ignoring the constitution

June 15, 2026

It was astounding to observe the uselessness of Idaho’s Congressional delegation during the first week of June. Rather than fulfilling their Constitutional duty to act as a check on unlawful presidential action, they simply sat on their hands. They had sworn to uphold the Constitution but now appear to be cowering behind their desks instead of standing up for the nation. They are nothing but worthless bootlickers.

There is no higher calling for members of Congress than keeping the nation safe. Yet, Senators Risch and Crapo voted to let a totally unqualified individual run America’s top intelligence agency. The position of Director of National Intelligence (DNI) was established after the 9-11 attacks to prevent dangerous intelligence gaps from happening again. The position demands someone with deep knowledge in protecting the country from dangerous actors. Bill Pulte, who Trump picked for the job, has no knowledge or experience in the field. He poses a serious risk to the country, but that does not seem to be a problem for Risch and Crapo.

Trump told the Wall Street Journal he wants to gut the DNI office. It could be because his previous DNI, Tulsi Gabbard, correctly reported that there was no intelligence supporting a war against Iran. The all-knowing, all-seeing president obviously knew she was wrong, even though subsequent developments prove otherwise. You don’t survive telling truth to power in the Trump era. Risch and Crapo have gotten that message.

Our esteemed Senators also know that bootlickers are not allowed to exercise their Constitutional power to control the nation’s purse strings in the Trump era. That would explain their vote to allow Trump to set up a $1.8 billion slush fund to hand out cash rewards to those who attacked the Capitol and beat the daylights out of policemen on January 6, 2021. They even trashed a Risch office.

In addition to dishing out cash to those who were criminally convicted of the Capitol attack, but then pardoned, Trump and his family will get sweeping protection from IRS audits. Trump has notoriously paid little to nothing in federal taxes for many years. It has been estimated that the tax audit amnesty could benefit Trump and his family up to a total of $100 million. That does not seem of concern to our Senators.

To take his mind off of the Iran War and the devastating effect it has wreaked upon farm states with the dramatic rise in diesel and fertilizer costs, Trump has obsessed over building projects. Nothing seems to be more important than his billion-dollar ballroom. Not wanting to disappoint their boss, Crapo and Risch voted to green light the project. They will likely support his $100 million proposal to build a triumphal arch smack dab in front of Arlington National Cemetery. Since neither Trump nor any members of our Congressional delegation served in the nation’s armed forces, they don’t understand the affront to those who died to keep the country safe.

Congressmen Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson also demonstrated contempt for the Constitution during the week. After the Iran War had been going for about 94 days, without a hint of congressional approval, they both voted to let it proceed unchecked. Thank goodness, a slim majority had read the Constitution and learned that the warmaking power rests squarely upon Congress. The resolution directing Trump to stop the war passed on a 215-208 vote.

Unfortunately, Risch and Crapo will most likely vote in favor of continuing the war when the matter gets to the Senate. They have been meekly silent about the war, even though they serve on committees that have jurisdiction over war-related issues. Risch chairs the Foreign Relations Committee and is a member of the Intelligence Committee. Crapo chairs the Finance Committee and is a member of the Budget Committee.

The House finally approved legislation to help our ally, Ukraine, defend against Vladimir Putin’s genocidal war. The vote was 226-195 to send $1 billion in security and reconstruction aid and provide $8 billion in defense lending to the beleaguered nation. The bill also approved additional sanctions on Russia. Both Simpson and Fulcher voted against the legislation. Fulcher has consistently voted against helping Ukraine, failing to understand that it is a small price to pay for protecting America and our NATO allies from Russian aggression.

Senator Risch repeatedly advocated for strengthening our NATO ties and providing massive assistance to Ukraine, at least until Trump made it clear that such was not permitted in the GOP ranks. Since then, Risch has basically kept his mouth shut. I fear that both he and Crapo will vote against the bill.

Because our bootlicking delegation has made it clear that they have no interest in performing their Constitutional duties, voters should send them out to pasture.