Red State Rebels

Almost Saturday night ...

The Idaho Statesman has posted the obituary for Victor Pacania, the host of BSU Radio's Private Idaho show who died a week ago today. A memorial service is set for 7 p.m. Monday (July 2) at Edwards Greenhouse. The BSU Radio website also has a long list of tribute letters to the man and the music he so generously shared with Idaho for 30 years.

When I moved to Idaho in 1989, there was no public radio outlet in Twin Falls. BSU Radio remedied that a short time later by posting an antenna atop Jerome Butte, and I discovered the station's wonderful Saturday line-up that included Private Idaho, Mountain Stage, A Prairie Home Companion, and more. I learned about zydeco through Victor's show, and I came to love the way he closed his shift - every time - with Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Almost Saturday Night." May we all live so well and die so loved.

Help LaRocco top $10K by TONIGHT

Update, 7:30 a.m. Saturday, June 30: The tally is now just shy of $8K. Midnight tonight is the deadline. To all of you who have already donated, THANKS!

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If you're like me, you are getting a lot of emails from candidates this week. I've already kicked in to two presidential campaigns this year, and I will probably give to one of 'em again before midnight tomorrow. All told, the top three Democrats are likely to raise more than $60 million this quarter.

Other races haven't yet caught fire, as candidates are just beginning to ramp up their 2008 machines. But something interesting has happened at Larry LaRocco's ActBlue page in the past 24 hours. Around midday yesterday, Larry had $4,336 in online contributions from 37 people. At a little past 3 p.m. Mountain today, he has $7,761 from 59 people. LaRocco has close to doubled his ActBlue take in the past 48 hours; he'll probably do so by dinnertime tonight.

But we have 33 hours left until the deadline at midnight tomorrow, and we can do even better. Can we help  LaRocco hit $10,000 from 100 donors on ActBlue by midnight Saturday, the end of the quarterly reporting deadline? Combined with the fundraising he's done offline, $10K will help Larry sport a good 2nd quarter report that will show the Washington, D.C., punditocracy that Idaho will be in play in 2008.

So do it now.  Head on over to ActBlue and contribute whatever you can ... $10, $20, $50, $100. Add a penny or more to show it's from the netroots. (I've been dropping $20.08 donations here and there across the Internet.)

This is the United States Senate we're talking about. Idaho is just as important in the Senate as any big state on the coast. As Mountain Goat Report noted this week, we have a stark choice between a candidate willing to work with everyday Idahoans and an incumbent who, just this week, failed to pass immigration reform and sought to limit veterans' benefits - and an incumbent who is serving as a rubber stamp for George W. Bush's policies in Iraq.

Larry Craig has been in Congress way too long. It's time for a new direction. Help Larry LaRocco now so he can get us there in 2008.

Full disclosure dept.: I am on the LaRocco for Senate staff.

Save the date: August 8 in Pocatello

Just got this email from Idaho Democratic Party chair Richard Stallings:

The Idaho Democratic Party is excited to announce that on August 8, 2007, we will be having a huge event in Pocatello. The event will occur around the lunchtime hour.  Stay tuned for more details.

I think it's an open secret in activist Dem circles - among Eastern Idahoans, anyway - what this is all about, but since Stallings apparently wants to keep a lid on it for a while, I will play along. Meanwhile, mark your calendars if you live anywhere east of Boise. You won't want to miss this (and I suspect a few Treasure Valley caravans may head over, too).

'Sicko' tix still available

Dr. Cronin says there are still some seats available for the Ada County Democrats' benefit Treasure Valley premiere of Michael Moore's new health-care documentary, Sicko. Twenty-five bucks helps the county party and includes the screening and hors d'oeuvres, with a reception at 6 p.m. and the movie at 7. See this movie a day before everyone else, and help build the Ada County Dem machine while you're at it. The event is this Thursday night, June 28, at The Flicks, 646 Fulton St. Boise. Reserve your tix by calling 331-2128 or sending an email here.

Update - Thursday, June 27: Democracy for America is working with Michael Moore to collect health care horror stories and demand health insurance for all Americans. Sign the petition here. Also, the Progressive States Network is featuring news of Healthy Wisconsin, which - if passed - will be the boldest and most comprehensive state-based health-care plan in the country.

If you see Sicko tonight, or later this weekend, please share your thoughts on the film here.

LaRocco blogs live at Kos again

Update: Click here to read the transcript of Larry's live blog. And go here to help boost his quarter-end total at ActBlue before the June 30 2nd quarter deadline. LaRocco is working hard to put Idaho on the electoral map, but he needs our help now. Let's see if we can get him over $7200 on Act Blue from more than 100 contributors by Saturday. (The current tally at 4 p.m. Mountain is $4,261 from 35 people.)

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Larry LaRocco will be back at Daily Kos for another live blog at noon Mountain/11 a.m. Pacific on Wednesday. He'll be talking about his Working for Senate campaign and answering as many questions as he can during the hourlong event.

The Working for Senate campaign is LaRocco's way to listen to and learn from Idahoans as he works alongside them. LaRocco kicked off the effort two weeks ago by hauling trash in Orofino. This Friday, he'll be pulling a shift at Beacon Hospital and Rehabilitation in Pocatello (followed by a trip to the Saturday night Teton County Dems' picnic in Driggs), and he's lining up other jobs as well.

I'll update this post with a link to the diary as soon as we're live at Kos on Wednesday. I hope to see some of you there. Until then, check out the national buzz LaRocco is getting from such sites as the Swing State Project and Blue Oregon, which asks whether LaRocco might be "Idaho's Jon Tester."

Gonzales chickens out

I'm in downtown Boise, where disgraced U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales refused to appear at a scheduled press conference when about 75 more than 100 protesters (including Jean Boyles of Boise, at right) showed up on the east side of the Fort Boise Community Center, where he was supposed to meet the media. 

About a half-hour after Gonzales' scheduled 2:30 arrival, someone came out to announce the press conference would instead be held at 4 p.m. at the U.S. Attorney General's office a few blocks away - indoors, away from protesters. A chorus of chicken calls erupted from the gathered throng, who minutes earlier had sung "The Star-Spangled Banner" in defiance of Gonzales' advocacy of politically motivated firings, torture, and domestic spying. But many said they planned to demonstrate outside the Federal Building anyway, and within minutes, several people holding a large "Shame, Shame On You" sign had moved to the new location. (Update 4:30 p.m. Who knew? The U.S. Attorney General's office is not in the Federal Building, as most everyone at Fort Boise assumed, but in the Washington Group International office plaza along Park Boulevard.)

Former 1st District congressional candidate Larry Grant, who plans to run again in 2008, took the podium and told the crowd, "I think he heard you when he didn't come out," adding that "we need a new attorney general" who will stand up to an administration when it advocates for torture.

"We're deeply concerned about America's standing in the world," 2nd District congressional candidate Jim Hansen told the group earlier, as people gathered for Gonzales' arrival. "To start the healing process, we'd welcome him to announce his resignation today."

"I think it's a snub on the people of Idaho," said Bob Nicholas, who arrived at the protest riding a Segway.

Gonzales was in town to discuss anti-gang initiatives and tour the Fort Boise Community Center, which has extensive teen activities to give youth alternatives to gangs. Earlier in the day, Hansen, Grant, and Dan Williams held a press conference to ask for Gonzales' resignation. Greg Hahn wrote on the Idaho Statesman website, "'I applaud him for being here to talk about gangs,' Grant said, but he added that these good intentions don't shroud the bad influence Gonzales has had on America's image around the world."

There's more on the day's events at Fort Boise and New West. The Idaho Democratic Party and Ada County Democrats also released statements protesting of Gonzales' visit to Boise. A special atta-boy to Jim Hansen for organizing today's protest.

Update 8 p.m. I've just posted a diary at Daily Kos, too.

July 15: The day the music dies?

Today is a Day of Silence on the Internet. Major players including Yahoo Music and Pandora (but curiously not the web-only-for-now Boise Community Radio) have taken their streams offline to protest rate hikes due to go into effect next month.

The Congressionally authorized Copyright Royalty Board has tripled the royalty fees that Internet radio webcasts must pay effective July 15, retroactive to January 2006. The new fees are higher than the revenue generated by many small webcasters, and they represent a cost increase of about 300% for the largest webcasters. For more info, see SaveNetRadio.org. Thanks to t reel for the tip on this.

Update Tuesday evening: Boise Community Radio apparently did join the protest, at least in part. See an email sent by station director Jeff Abrams in the comments below.

No safe haven for Gonzales

As reported in the water cooler comment thread, Alberto Gonzales is due in Boise tomorrow (Tuesday, June 26). If that makes you sick to your stomach, you are in good company. A protest is planned outside the Fort Boise Community Center, where the disgraced attorney general is set to arrive shortly before 2 p.m. As Jim Hansen writes at the United Action for Idaho blog:

It appears this visit is designed to show that people in communities like Boise, Idaho support Gonzales and Bush's policies. They have kept the visit quiet as long as they could to ensure a bare minimum of publicity. They need to take pretty pictures back to DC to show that America really does support Gonzales, even though millions of people are calling for his resignation or impeachment and for a repudiation of the Bush administration's torture and domestic surveillance policies.

It is interesting to note that Gonzales is not even meeting with our Governor. That is probably because when he was a Congressman, (Butch) Otter was one of the strongest opponents of the deceptively-named "USA PATRIOT ACT", an act that President Bush and his AG are using to undermine over 100 years of protected civil rights in this country.

There's more here.

Update, Tuesday afternoon: Former Democratic congressional candidates gathered in Boise today to say Gonzales should resign.

Monday morning water cooler 6.25.07

I spotted this sign at the Capital City Public Market  last Saturday. As you can see (I hope), it asks that - due to health and safety concerns - people ought to "please refrain from bringing your dog(s) to the Market."

Okay. I really have to wonder how this is going to go over with Boise's doting dog "parents," who may not see the request at all. (The signs are posted well below eye level, except - perhaps - for dogs' eyes.) As anyone who frequents the market knows, the place is positively overrun with pooches, most strolling in their finest bandannas, some tucked into their owners' arms, Paris Hilton style. The market is a major social event for them and for their owners. Frankly, the dogs do add to the growing congestion at the super-popular market. But Boise is nothing if not a dog-loving town, and this edict can't be welcome among the many dog fanciers who meet downtown each Saturday morning.

I may have a solution. Why not turn the cursed lot at 8th and Idaho into a nice big (fenced-in!) dog park? That way, dogs could run free with humans watching guard and market visitors would be free to shop in a canine-free environment. Win win. Woof woof!

What do you think of the market's dog ban? And do you think it will actually work?

Scenes from a birthday

Saturday was one of the most magical days that Boise has experienced in recent history. Julia Davis Park was packed from morning until after sunset in a centennial tribute to the vision of early Boise settlers Tom and Julia Davis, who gave the city its premiere park - an asset that Mayor Dave Bieter said is now valued at roughly a quarter of a billion dollars.

Thousands of people thronged the park for daytime activities including a satellite farmer's market, tours of the park's grand trees, free paddle boat rides, storytelling (here's Coston Frederick holding forth on how the parrot got its colors), sack races, and much more.

The day ended with a free concert featuring Boise's own Curtis Stigers and his swinging trio. As twilight tucked itself around the Gene Harris Bandshell - named for Stigers' mentor - the large and attentive audience enjoyed previews of most of the tracks from the jazz singer's upcoming CD, Real Emotional, already out in the UK and due here later this summer. Stigers - whose voice sounded fuller than ever - continues to draw deep into the well of rock, country, blues, and even kids' music to find songs that, as one reviewer put it, "haven't been done to death." He credited his daughter, Ruby, age 7, with helping him discover Dan Zanes' charming "Night Owl," which was the perfect song to offer as the sky above turned indigo. But he followed that up a few tunes later with Emmylou Harris' distinctly adult "I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now."

Stigers also did his share of soapboxing. He gave props to fellow Boise native Bieter for his commitment to Boise's quality of life and dedicated Mose Allison's "Your Mind is on Vacation" to the President of the United States. When that drew some of the night's loudest applause, Stigers wrly said, "I thought this was a red state." But the evening's most timely song may well have been Stigers' reading of Paul Simon's "An American Tune," unfortunately as contemporary today as when Simon wrote it during the Watergate era. I used this song in a lay-led Fourth of July service at my church two years ago, and it really could serve as an anthem for the United States in the Bush era.

Although he gave many shout-outs to Julia Davis and her family's vision in establishing the park, Stigers admitted several times during the evening to being "maudlin." One reason for that - in addition to depressing geopolitics and Gene Harris' memory - may have been the news that Victor Pacania, host of the long-running and much-beloved "Private Idaho" show on Boise State Radio, had passed away Saturday morning of pancreatic cancer. Stigers dedicated the last song of the night ("Love," one of the radio host's favorite Stigers tunes) to Pacania. It was a poignant close, and one more reminder that it's Boise's strong sense of community and caring that makes this such a great place to live.