<HTML><BODY STYLE="font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV>Tom writes:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>>Was Puppet Kimmell's choice of Robert E. Lee restricted to "famous accomplished generals" or "famous >accomplished Confederate generals." If it were the former, Lieutenant General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller, >arguably the most famous man ever to serve in the Marine Corps, comes to mind. And if it were the >latter, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, who served under Lee (and in my mind is more responsible for >Lee's victories than Lee is himself).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Indeed. Mr. Kimmell might also have done well to consider Eisenhower, Patton, or Montgomery. But really, why choose a general at all? This is the Chamber of Commerce we're talking about, not a militia (I hope). Has Mr. Kimmell never heard of Stephen Covey? Has he not read <EM>The One-Minute Manager </EM>or the autobiography of Donald Trump? Bill Gates lives only three hundred miles away, and though I'll admit that he's a bit boring when compared to General Lee, the Palouse is more likely to make money from software engineering than plantation farming.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Moscow was recently added to the Southern Poverty Law Center's watch list. Leaving aside for a moment the moral and ethical stain this designation imparts, in pragmatic terms, it's bad for business It makes it much harder for the universities to recruit new faculty and students, and it makes those of us who already live here feel defensive and ashamed. We are now obliged to fight the same sort of rear-guard action that the city of Couer d'Alene has adopted to deal with Richard Butler. (And for that alone Doug Wilson should be taxed double.) The choice of Robert E. Lee as the Chamber's leadership model bespeaks either grotesque incompetence or a political tin ear. Under the circumstances, I don't know which is worse.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment <BR><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML><br clear=all><hr>Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : <a href='http://explorer.msn.com'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>