By Michael H. O'Donnell Thirty years ago then-Bingham County Sheriff Mike Shiosaki became the brunt of jokes when he tried to convince the county commissioners to let him buy an Israeli-made 9mm Uzi submachine gun. At the time Shiosaki said he needed it to beef up the firepower of his department.
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By Richard Larsen
During the 2008 campaign, President Obama declared, “It’s time to fundamentally change the way that we do business in Washington.” And change it, he has done! It’s been transformed into even more of a brash, thuggish, and coercive environment than it ever was before. The current IRS scandal of politically motivated discrimination against conservative non-profit groups perfectly characterizes the disturbing ends-justify-the-means “Chicago-style politics” that Obama and his comrades have brought to Washington.
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By Neal Larson President Barack Obama cannot have it both ways. He cannot be in charge of the government, yet not accountable for what it does. If he gets to claim credit for Seal Team Six’s elimination of Osama bin Laden, then he must take blame when Chris Stevens and three others are killed. Or when the IRS is caught unfairly targeting conservative groups in the runup to an historic election. Or when his Justice Department spies on unsuspecting Associated Press reporters. Why is it that he valiantly orchestrated the Navy Seal operation, but hears bad news when all the rest of us do -- on the evening news?
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By Jennifer Seaich I am writing to clarify a comment made in an Idaho State Journal interview with Larry Fisher in a story headlined, “LDS church pushed for outside legal input." Some people might have read the story and understood that Pocatello's mayor and City Council asked for insight from the Portneuf Valley Interfaith Fellowship about the anti-discrimination ordinance; however, this did not occur.
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By Jan Flandro New Horizon Center opened Sept. 6, 2012. Land was acquired and the school was funded, built and opened while at the same time School District 25 bemoaned budget cuts which resulted in a reduction of 9.5 days to the school calendar and reduction in staff, 19 teaching positions understaffed. Yet, the district found money to build, open and operate New Horizon Center. The district budgets for what it values.
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By Chris Carlson As the son of two public school teachers, I of course have some opinions regarding educational reforms needed to improve the performance of Idaho’s students as they increasingly enter an international competitive marketplace for future good-paying jobs.
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By Steve Sutton My concern isn't so much with the Common Core standards themselves, yet. Improvement is always good. Lofty goals are necessary for higher success. My concerns have always been with the larger picture, which seems to be ignored or hard to see for so many. I am worried about what national standardization is already doing and will continue to do to our education system. Before jumping to your talking points about this not being a national standardization, please read further. As of right now, there are only 2 consortiums in the US (PARCC which comprises 22 states, and SBAC which comprises 26 states/territories). Even the "old math" allows me to add that up to 48 states/territories. Both consortiums have adopted Common Core Standards. That means the US now has basically a single national standard under the umbrella of Common Core. I'm not sure how this can be misunderstood, even with our "out of date language skills." However, I have heard ad nauseam how it's been spun.
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By Leonard Hitchcock It is increasingly likely that the average American citizen is personally acquainted with someone whom he or she knows to be gay. It is also increasingly a matter of general awareness that scientific research has established that being gay is the result of biological causes. Admittedly, a complete and comprehensive biological explanation has not yet been achieved, but it is now widely accepted that two of the operative biological factors are a genetic component, and the chemical environment in the womb. It is becoming clear, as well, that a gay sexual orientation usually manifests itself in childhood.
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By Michael O'Donnell Having grown incensed by the constant accusations that the media doesn't really have the fortitude to engage in tough investigative journalism, it's time to expose the truth about Benghazi or Ben Gazzara – take your pick.
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By Chris Carlson Noticed a few weeks back where you climbed Old Rag Mountain in the Shenandoah National Park on a Sunday with your press aide, a reporter from the New York Times and some National Park Service personnel. It certainly befit your image as a hard-charging executive into vigorous outdoor activity as one would expect a former REI president, banker and engineer to be. That you are successful, smart and talented cannot be questioned.
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