Political fights, the way they once were

Ron Rankin dismissed it as a “sucker punch.”

Merle Parsley described it as “the most beautiful, straight right hand on his nose and the nose exploded like a smashed tomato.”

Both men were describing a fist fight that took place 55 years ago, on June 11, 1966, outside the old North Shore Resort Hotel, where Idaho Democrats were holding their annual convention.

“Rankin remembered the clash one way, Parsley another,” wrote Betsy Russell, then of The Spokesman-Review, after Parsley’s death in September 2007.

Russell continued: “But both agreed that after Parsley caught Rankin posting late-night fliers maligning a Democratic candidate for governor, Parsley gave the much larger Rankin a bloody nose and Rankin knocked Parsley down. Rankin then filed assault charges, which didn’t stick.”

In an account of the fight, the Idaho State Journal of Pocatello labeled Rankin “a Coeur d’Alene public relations man (who) was sent to North Idaho by an ultraconservative group to organize conservatives.”

Rankin, who died in October 2004, would go on to become a force in Idaho politics crusading against property tax, as well as a two-term county commissioner. Parsley, a Bonner County legislator and Sandpoint High teacher at the time, would later manage the State Insurance Fund.

On that June 1966 night, however, Parsley was livid as he rushed from the North Shore to confront Rankin and Gary Ingram. Rankin, an ex-Marine who had fought in Korea, had the size advantage. He was 6 feet tall and more than 200 pounds. Parsley was 5 feet 6 inches and tipped the scale at 150 pounds.

In a letter, Parsley told Huckleberries about his version of the fight.

“I got ahold of Rankin, but he easily threw me to the ground,” he wrote. “I got up quickly and started to circle him. I feigned that I was going to put a left hook into the right side of his gut. He doubled over to protect himself as I thought he would.”

Then came the “straight right hand.”

Parsley failed to mention in his letter that he received a black eye for his efforts.

But he sure enjoyed telling that story.

Jeopardized

North Idaho “Jeopardy!” fans are buzzing about the clue that flashed on the screen Tuesday night: “Bonners Ferry, north of Coeur d’Alene, calls itself this state’s most friendly town.” Wendi Richardson posted a screen shot on the North Idaho Life Facebook page, which prompted 501 comments, including some who question the adjective defining Bonners Ferry as “friendly.” One doubter offered, “Nicely armed, you mean.” Others had fun with the show’s mispronunciation of Coeur d’Alene. And still others lamented that North Idaho is getting too much exposure. A joker offered one possible answer to the clue: “What is Iowa?”

Huckleberries

• Poet’s Corner: Disease and pain/from all these ills/but you’ll be fine/— just buy our pills — The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Prescription Drug Ads”).

• Capt. Kim Edmondson may have lost her 2020 primary race for county sheriff but she didn’t lose her sense of humor. As she observed her 29th year with KCSO this week, she Facebooked: “So many things have changed along the way, but I wouldn’t change any of it back — except maybe my pants size!” Most of us can identify with that last part.

• And now this clever Facebook post from Bjorn Handeen of Coeur d’Alene: “I haven't been hacked. If you get a weird message from me, I'm just like that.”

• Mark Potter likes to recall two things about stepson Daniel Murphy’s 2002 graduation from Syracuse Law School: Joe Biden gave the commencement address. And Biden said this line: “From the lobster fishermen in Maine to the lumberjacks in Coeur d’Alene …” Mark told Huckleberries: “We all cheered and jumped up and down.” Daniel now is a defense attorney and general manager of Cedar Mountain Supply in Coeur d’Alene.

Parting Shot

Anna Heisey doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. For the last five months, the Coeur d’Alene woman thought she was going to be 52 years old in February. That was before she was rudely corrected by her calendar app that her next birthday would be No. 53. “Oh my,” exclaimed Anna, “let the senior moments begin.” Then, Anna reconsidered, “2020 should not count against my time.” Anna should consider herself lucky. Some — most? — would say they aged a decade in the last year.

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D.F. “Dave” Oliveria can be contacted at dfo@cdapress.com.