MY TURN: KCRCC Town Hall melee

Mere minutes ago, I left the KCRCC-sponsored legislative town hall meeting (Saturday, Feb. 22). My departure was abrupt and abbreviated by an unwillingness to be associated with the melee ensuing about half way through the presentations of the attending legislators. Roughly four and a half Idaho legislators were able to verbalize the bills they were working on and their concerning interests with only a few outbursts from the people attending. Tony Wisniewski was able to get about halfway through his presentation describing his concern with the prevention of crossbreeding animal and human genes and the prevention of abortion before a female member of the audience erupted in anger. The interruption devolved into an ejection attempt that ultimately resulted in the woman being dragged out on her back, zip tied and missing a shoe.   

Having youthful prison working experience, I had seen and been involved with similar situations that never ended well. I made a retreat as police arrived. My intent in attendance was to learn what each legislator was doing for me and our state. Upon learning what I could, I would have liked to ask a few questions of the legislators regarding my concerns for the community, hopeful of receiving answers to allay some of my fears. A few days ago, I received an email from Russ Fulcher, our Idaho Congressman. Russ told me that in 2024 wildfires had burned 640,000 acres across Idaho and he was discussing wildfire prevention with the U.S. Forest Service, BLM, and local agencies. I had also received other news that federal firefighting agencies had funds withdrawn for hiring and training firefighters. North Idaho is forested and wildfires are becoming more common. It’s great to be concerned about wildfires, but it seems counterproductive to pull federal funding with the potential of larger and more life-threatening fires in the future. I was also going to ask about the legislators’ goals regarding the continued community benefit of North Idaho College (NIC), considering our local legislators had voted against Idaho Launch bills and higher education funding. 

I find that questions presented in a gentle, civilized manner receive the most thoughtful answers. At the end of the legislators’ presentation, I was told there would be a question-and-answer period. Since civilized discourse and Elvis had left the building, it was a waste of an afternoon for me. Intelligent tacticians who disagree with the direction of their elected representatives gather as much information as they can to discover the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy so they can formulate a successful plan to vote them out of office. This concept has a much better chance of changing minds and representation than interruptions that give the controlling party a righteous reason to lock up their belief and expel the uncivilized. A new group of NIC trustees with the communities’ interest foremost illustrates that intelligent tactics breed success. If one walks into a venue with John Birch representatives on one side and a KCRCC volunteer table on the other side of the entrance, there might be a clue as to the flavor of the experience. 

A gentleman brought a well-trained Labrador retriever to the town hall presentation. The dog had a rainbow collar, which made my mind race with curiosity and questions. Anyway, the screaming and shouting obviously confused and frightened the dog. Just before leaving I let it sniff my hand while telling it what a good dog it was. I was hopeful it would forgive the humans for acting like animals. I found I had more in common with the dog than in the squealing and shouting people. 

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Doug Albertson is a 40-year resident of Coeur d’Alene.