September 7, 2024
The Twin Falls Times News lists its current reader comments on the front page of its web site. Third from the top is one with the headline, "Life as We Know It Will End if Hillary Becomes President."
Question: What's the percentage of Idahoans who essentially agree with that?
Doesn't feel like endorsement season, but if you're going to have your say about presidential candidates, this would be the time. And the Seattle Times did, in part, today:
"The Seattle Times endorses Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president. He has the grasp, temperament and skills to right our standing in the world. He has broad insight and specific ideas to assuage our own hardworking citizens' fears of an economy turning sour."
The Republican endorsement is next Sunday. These have to do with the caucuses on February 9 and primary on February 19. (Yeah, yeah, we'll discuss later.)
Meantime: Will there be a counterpart editorial in the Idaho Statesman, since Idaho Democrats caucus on February 5?
Bingen, Washington, in snow |
This morning, back at home and blogging by the fireplace, thoughts return to that scene from last night, out of Dante - not the Inferno but the Icebox - and whatever may have happened to all those people . . .
What follows isn't political, as such. It certainly is a matter of public affairs, and a reflect on how often people in positions of responsibility lose sight of the point of their work.
Friday was not a good day for travel across the width of the state of Oregon. Saturday looked better, and it wasn't awful in its easternmost reaches, at least in early to midday; snow fell but the roads remained easily passable. On our journey, accompanied by a rescue dog headed from Nampa to Portland, trouble began with the ice rain, which started clunking down just past Arlington and was becoming inescapable by gasup at The Dalles.
Ahead, it apparently was much worse, at least account to Shell station gossip (which is usually pretty sound on such matters). US 84 had been shut down through much of the Gorge, from Cascade Locks to Troutdale on the east edge of Portland, because ice rain had led to a series of wrecks there. An alternative was to cross the Columbia and head west on Washington Highway 14; in fact, traffic between the Cascade Locks and Portland areas was being formally diverted there.
Sounded reasonable.