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Well, regarding our town's 2011 version of hippies, I can only say.... Henry, I hung with hippies, I knew hippies, hippies were friends of mine. Henry, these are not hippies. (apologies to Lloyd Bentsen)..... If you don't smell patchouli, anyone claiming to be of the real, vanishing breed is a 21st century poser.....<br><br><hr id="stopSpelling">From: hearseboy85@gmail.com<br>To: vision2020@moscow.com<br>Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2011 19:29:36 -0700<br>Subject: [Vision2020] My Column / Megaloads & Hippies<br><br>
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<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Viz Peeps -</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">First with an apology of sorts - I wasn't trying to
be defensive in my original email - its just that the last time people started
asking about where I lived and where I worked in regards to a column my
workplace was incorporated into it and it didn't end well. Despite what
I may had written for my closing column last time, I was basically
told to give up my column or quit my job. Since writing for the Daily News
pays beer money and my job at RadioShack paid career money, I think its obvious
why I had to choose. Which is why I must stress that my column and the
opinions expressed therein are separate from my job duties at my present
employer. I am able to keep my private/opinion self separate from my work
self.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">I'm also glad to know that there won't be an angry
mob outside my home or workplace with pitchforks and patchouli oil.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Second, I think you really need to know me as a
person to get my style of humor. It seems that the crux of everyone's
hatred of me is the "hippie" comment. I'm not going to apologize for it
because its humor. Moscow has hippies - anyone who denies it either lives
under a rock or is one and can't admit it. I think its groovy and its why
I've stayed in Moscow long after my stay at the UI was over. It is what
makes Moscow unique and, sometimes to my chagrin, flavors the political climate
much different than the rest of the state. </font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">And seriously folks, does a gay guy really have a
finger to point at a hippie? No. </font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Please, just shrug off that
particular paragraph and laugh a little. I don't dislike hippies
anymore than I dislike my mother-in-law. :-)</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">The DNews has a 650 word limit and trying to put
enough background information for readers who might not know the issue you're
speaking of and interjecting your own opinion/positions to form a cohesive
column that is readable is tough. I would encourage you to try it sometime
and see if you could fit everything you wanted to say within the word limit
without sounding like a poorly edited radio commercial. I do the best I
can with the space given and sometimes am forced to oversimplify things,
sometimes with a kick of humor, in an effort to conserve
space.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">I'm not certain what Roger Falen meant when he
called me a maverick. I've seen the term used both ways to portray Sarah
Palin as either good or bad so I'm still scratching my head at that. I
guess the only way I can confirm what he said is yes, I left the Republican
party after it was decimated in the primary by the Gresham Bouma/Ike Young Tea
Partiers. The party took a severe swing to the right and pushed out
moderates like myself and the Schroeders. Perhaps it was a good thing
because it caused me to give up my party label (other than independent) but
as I've grown I've learned to look at every issue independently and form my
opinions based on the information I take in.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Now, to the core of the issue at hand.
</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Sunil had asked if I felt that the environmental
impacts of the Kearl Oil Sands were the same as a single earth burial. No,
I don't. But my personal opinions on the Kearl Oil Sands are irrelevant to
the megaload issue.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Why?</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Because what happens at the end of the line cannot
and should not be regulated by people who are not directly impacted by the
results of what happens at the end of the line. </font><font size="2" face="Arial">If anyone paid attention to my column I said that I was sympathetic to
the issues surrounding the oil sands - who can't be - the whole thing is
disgraceful. But the fact remains that Highway 95 is just that - a
state/federal highway - regulated by the Idaho Transportation Department under
whatever permitting process is established for larger loads. </font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">If you don't like the permitting process then work
to change the law - not stop the loads. </font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">As far as the action of the council goes - it is
what it is. Walter made a political statement more than anything and the
council agreed with him. It wasn't a resolution - if you watch the video
the language was changed to make it a positional statement. And does
anyone really think that public input would have changed anyone's mind on the
dais? I doubt it and would suggest that anyone who thinks it would is just
as delusional as thinking the right amount of pro-Wal Mart public input
would cause Aaron Ament to become a fan of Big Blue.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Overall I don't think that the folks on this forum
discussing this topic are too far apart from me. If you want to get to
know me I'm more than game - I love making friends and a good debate. I'll
buy the coffee if you ask (when I have spare time from work, of
course).</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Take Care -</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Henry</font></div>
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