[Vision2020] HIS VIEW: An 'asinine exercise in pure stupidity'( was Please Flush When Finished . . .)

Tue Aug 30 13:25:50 PDT 2011

Tom, I think we get that you don’t think very much of Henry Johnson’s op-ed piece  J

For a different spin, I’ve thought of a couple of positives to his column  J  I see Donovan has already listed a positive & I hope others feel free to add to the list!

First, I’m glad to know that Henry is proud to be a vocal part of the divisiveness that’s a huge part of what’s wrong with this community & our nation.  From his very brief participation here on the Viz, that didn’t seem to me to be the case; now, it’s undeniable.  Of course, perhaps it was undeniable earlier to those of you who subscribe to the Daily News, but since I don’t . . . 

Second, I’m glad to know that Henry is willing to pay more than his “fair share” for any damages caused by mega-loads because that’s the logical conclusion of his position.  I’ve made a note to send my part of the bill to him, care of the Snooze.

Third, I thank God that not all of us are as cynical & without hope as poor Henry was when he wrote, “And while these protests might make our local hippie conclave "feel better" about "doing their part," they will have absolutely no impact on the end result.”

Quite simply, had this country’s founding fathers shared Henry Johnson’s “I’m happy to be a sheep & I lack the courage of my convictions” attitude, we wouldn’t even have a country.  Duh!

If we were a country of Henry Johnsons, America wouldn’t be nearly as great as she is.  Indeed, it’s those who have the courage to publicly stand up for what we believe in – even in the face of apparently futility – that’s played a significant role in making America one of the greatest nations on earth.

With disparagement, Henry mentions Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Rosa Parks, which tells us more about him than it does about the protesters.  But, those are just a couple of “big” examples.  Perhaps he slept through whatever history classes he ever took, but it was the actions of great people unwilling to “just shut up” that helped women get the right to vote & equal treatment under the law, demanded reforms in child labor, forced legislation to mandate workplace safety back in the days (not unlike current times) when greed trumped decency, have worked diligently to protect our civil liberties when under attack by the government, have brought about advances in gay rights, and so forth.

Now, I understand there’s an asinine (to use Henry’s word) trend in this country to turn back the clock to a time where personal & corporate greed were virtues, but it’s people who truly understand our nation’s history who are saying, “Hell, NO!”

Similarly, people who understand that deficits don’t matter one dang bit if we’re going to continue to destroy the environment are saying, “Hell, NO!”  As are people who have more local concerns.

Yes, thank God we aren’t a nation of whiny do-nothing Henry Johnsons!

Saundra Lund

Moscow, ID

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.

~ Edmund Burke

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Tom Hansen
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 6:36 AM
To: Moscow Vision 2020
Subject: [Vision2020] Please Flush When Finished . . .

It has been suggested that ignorance, to some degree or another, strikes each of us every 15 minutes.  That only means one thing . . . 

There are fourteen people walking around thinking, "Thank God for Henry Johnston."

Originally I was not going to post Johnston's crap publicly, preferring to share it privately among two or three hundred friends.  But my concern for the opinions of the citizens in a town I have grown to love became more important than a collection of privately made profane statements.

That said . . .

Courtesy (for lack of a more appropriate term) of today's (August 30, 2011) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

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HIS VIEW: An 'asinine exercise in pure stupidity'

By Henry D. Johnston
August 30, 2011

In my June 7 column I predicted Moscow's hippies would dig out their "leather vests, put on their Birkenstocks and re-adjust their graying ponytails" in response to the movement of ExxonMobil's megaloads up U.S. Highway 95. Now, imagine the belly laugh I enjoyed when I woke up Friday morning and saw on DNews.com a photo, taken by Daily News photographer Dean Hare, of my exact prophecy.

Well, my friends, it's official - I am a modern day Nostradamus.

Now I didn't attend the protest in person, but did review the YouTube footage provided by local politico Tom Hansen. Most of the reporting on the incident is spot-on, so I need not rehash the details here.

But I will say that I was surprised Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney didn't stand in the crosswalk all by herself, recreating the showdown in Tiananmen Square.

Such behavior from the mayor wouldn't surprise me as she did, after all, send a letter to the Idaho Transportation Department vehemently opposing the megaloads. Regardless of whatever disclosure was made about the letter not representing the official view of the city, it was still sent on city letterhead after the City Council passed a resolution welcoming the transports through our town.

Last I checked, it is the City Council, not the mayor, who sets official positions for the city. I don't know why Chaney thinks she can get away with such shenanigans, but I do know that if she were to pull a stunt like that in the private sector, she'd most likely find herself in the unemployment line.

At the end of the night, six hippies were arrested and will surely become martyrs of the cause. I'm sure in their own twisted reality these people now hold themselves to the same esteem as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks protesting social injustice. I only make this observation because one protester (who was not arrested) suggested that the protests in Moscow were somehow on the same plane as those in Syria.

I don't know what he was smoking, but he better share it, because while the uprising in Syria stems from a desire to end torture and broaden political freedoms - such as freedom of press, speech and assembly. Moscow's protest was nothing more than an asinine exercise in pure stupidity.

For the first time since this debate started, the full and true colors of the "anti" crowd were shown. The opposition to these loads isn't about the size, weight or route of travel. It's not about the permitting process or use of the Idaho State Police as escorts. It's not about the damage that may or may not be caused to our roads.

No, the entire thrust of this opposition is about "big oil" and the Kearl Oil Sands Project. Or it could be many of them are starting to realize that following the Grateful Dead around the country isn't what it used to be.

Either way, why in the hell is it up to Moscow to try to stop a project that isn't even happening in our own state, let alone our own country? Can't Canada make their own decisions about what industrial projects occur inside their borders? If I were a Canadian, I'd take serious offense to the fact that a group of pretentious academics in a town that reeks of pig dung think they know how to manage my country better than I do.

I certainly hope these protests don't become a regular event every time a megaload rolls through town. Local law enforcement has more important tasks than to baby-sit a bunch of overgrown toddlers posing as college students, professors and "enlightened" locals.

And while these protests might make our local hippie conclave "feel better" about "doing their part," they will have absolutely no impact on the end result. The loads will roll one way or another, and the oil sands project will be completed.

So to them I say, just get over it and, in the words of a retired city councilman, "Why don't you just shut up!"

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown

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