Extremism steps up to the plate…

Who needs the major leaguers? We can still play three strikes.

Let the voters decide, Part 1.

In some people’s eyes, the federal government is deployed by the devil. Hence, any policy manufactured in the nation’s capital is labeled with skulls and crossbones. And no amount of reasoning or fact-finding appears up to the task of changing these people’s anti-fed sentiments.

Specific opposition to distributing American Rescue Plan Act funds — you know, ARPA — has reared its head and mouth locally, with meeting interruptions and threats of recall and worse. The Coeur d’Alene City Council caught flak from some 25 anti-ARPAs at a meeting, some of the complainants not even Coeur d'Alene residents. Yet the audience was stunned when, despite their vitriol, the council went ahead with plans to accept the federal funding.

The council did exactly what it was elected to do: Represent the will of the majority of its voters, not a clutch of complainers.

When you lose an election, there are consequences. In this case, the voters have spoken.

That’s a base hit for the City Council and strike one against the extremists.

Election integrity matters*.

You noticed the asterisk, eh? That’s because election integrity apparently is a matter of perspective rather than policy and principle.

Nobody should be surprised that the Kootenai County poll worker who has been charged with electioneering last November in Hayden is a political refugee who moved here less than a year ago, is a member of Janice McGeachin’s failed education indoctrination task force, believes commies are taking over the country, and of course, that critical race theory is ingeniously and malevolently woven into public school curricula.

She’ll get her day in court in a few months. But thanks to her — regardless of the outcome in court — citizens are much more aware of what is and what isn’t OK at the polls.

That’s an extra-base hit for the people and strike two on the extremists.

Let the voters decide, Part 2.

Kootenai County officials and volunteers have spent months now deeply examining how its government is structured and considering if there might be a better way to serve the 170,000 or so county citizens.

Perhaps you’ve seen an article or two on the process? It’s been packed with more threats, more unleashed fury, more anger and personal attacks — and that’s without officials taking action. All along, the process states that if any change is recommended, voters will have the final say.

And yet many of the same people in the scenarios of the first two strikes have wailed and flailed, clearly not wanting the question to go to a public vote. The hypocrisy of these alleged patriots has the ump jumping up out of his crouch and barking, “Steeeeee-rike three!”

For now, we can only dream of baseball's return — and our region's extremism actually getting called out.