Johnson’s resume
Back in 2015, Marty Trillhaase was concerned that former Secretary of State and Idaho Land Board member Ben Ysursa might be prostituting himself by joining Gallatin Public Affairs, a firm founded by the late Chris Carlson.
Today, Trillhaase publishes a column every Friday from Ysursa’s pimp, Marc C. Johnson.
According to LinkedIn, the tale of the tape on Johnson is:
l 10 years as reporter, producer and moderator of public affairs and news programs on Idaho public television and Boise’s CBS affiliate.
l Nine years as top aide to Idaho’s four-term Gov. Cecil D. Andrus.
l 23 years as partner/of counsel and three-plus years as president of Gallatin Public Affairs, a Pacific Northwest public affairs, issues management and government relations firm.
So Johnson traded on his public office adjacent experience and connections to enjoy a lucrative private sector career. If there was influence peddling going on at Gallatin, then he was peddling it.
At least Carlson, whose column was also seen here, was open about his career with Gallatin, mentioning it in several columns. But Carlson was a good egg, an honest man and ecumenical enough to endorse an Idaho Republican over a Democrat he didn’t think was up to the job (Lewiston Tribune, Aug. 3, 2018).
Johnson is none of those things — as his catalog of venom-laced jeers at the GOP show.
The Lewiston Tribune can publish whom it chooses, even professional propagandists. But the paper should be honest with readers about who those people really are.
Thomas A. Hennigan
Asotin
Found editorial confusing
Your editorial “Stalinism finds a beachhead in Idaho” was interesting for its insight.
I was president of the bottom 10 percent of my Santa Monica High School class, got a surfing scholarship to University of Southern California and was probably the greatest of all time (GOAT) when graduating from the Marshall School of Business.
I got an MBA. I still don’t know what the acronym means. Finally, USC awarded me an Ed.D., probably to ensure the graduation ceremony would have my vodka gimlet-making (with Rose’s lime juice) skills available.
With these educational failures, I still can’t use email. It is easy to comprehend that I could not understand your editorial that condemns Region IV (Ada County) Republican Chairman Ed Humphreys for wanting to withhold funds for teaching that “one race is superior to another.”
This condemnation is like a double negative or the anomaly that a minus times a minus is a positive.
Was Sen. Joe McCarthy or Charlie McCarthy involved with this editorial?
My grandfather, Qarence Safely, was editor of the Grangeville newspaper, then the San Diego Union, and he would disown me for my educational and literary failures.
Jim Naumann
Hailey
Locals oppose breaching
As I read the opinions expressed in the Lewiston Tribune, it has been interesting to observe that most who write in favor of the breaching (with the exception of a couple of local fishing guides who have a vested interest), do not live in the valley and would not be affected as we, who live here, will be.
For those who are old enough, remember when, years ago, the dams were bypassed and the terrible ugly mess it made?
Fortunately, they found it had little effect on salmon migration and they gave the project up.
In my opinion, the breaching would have a devastating effect on our environment and local economy, which is an opinion shared by most who live and do business here.
For those wishing to have some salmon to eat, Costco currently has wild chinook salmon on sale. They also have steelhead.
Carl Koenen
Clarkston
Biden’s a bimbo
We now have a bimbo, Joe Biden, as president.
First, he is destroying the Constitution — it is now 95 percent destroyed.
This HR 1 bill he’s introduced states you do not need ID to vote. How do fat, lazy welfare dollies get their welfare checks?
These mail-in voting ballots came from Honduras, Ecuador, Mexico and Syria.
Now the parents send their children to our border.
Georgia passed a bill stating you needed an ID.
On a vendetta, Biden declared war on Georgia by destroying their economy.
Twenty-three states run by Democrats are now dictatorships. As an example, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo exterminated 15,000 senior citizens. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has closed all schools for more than a year. But Gov. Newson is allowing teachers to teach illegals.
The worst traitors we have are the news media.
Michael Bloomberg is in bed with China.
Bill Gates and Microsoft are in bed with China.
Jack Dorsey of Twitter is in bed with China.
Sundar Pichal of Google is in bed with China.
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook is in bed with China.
Congressman Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., is in bed with China.
Hunter Biden got $1.5 billion from China.
Last, all federal government agencies are all unionized and so are greedy and corrupt.
Howard Miller
Asotin
Fake news
Lester Holt of liberal NBC just admitted to misleading his left-wing followers for five years. It was for your own good because it would have been a waste of your time to sort through opposing reports on events.
He and his kind felt their interpretation was all you needed; this after proclaiming in 2016 that truth and fairness would not be necessary when dealing with former President Donald Trump and his administration.
Fake news became the cry from those on the right who knew both sides of the stories, but only saw the negative interpretation in the media.
Identifying sources was a rarity in their bombshell headlines. Most claims were later debunked without fanfare and those who relied solely on Holt’s news only got one picture, often incorrect. ...
That picture ignored all positive aspects of the Trump administration and focused on character assassination.
Holt and his cronies feel it unnecessary to give equal time to the positives of a Republican president and negatives of a Democrat president.
Just prior to the 2020 election, an ex-business partner of the Biden family came forward with proof that Chinese business interests with ties to their government were paying money to the Bidens. Not a word was reported by NBC or the New York Times.
Holt says you don’t need to know those things because he deemed it misinformation.
Where is the outrage over an American president possibly compromised by a foreign government? Holt thought that was important during the last four years.
David Klatt
Kendrick
Turnabout is fair play
What a dog face pony soldier ride (Hidin’ Biden’s famous words) we, the American people, have been on.
Before former President Donald Trump was sworn in, the play book was in force to take down this newly elected president on Jan. 5, 2017, which involved the Clintons, the Obamas and the Bidens.
However, 2020 is over and we, the patriotic American people, have fought relentlessly to expose the truth by forcing releases of government documents that we have yet to see and that’s our right.
This year will be the continuation of the corrupt politicians as follows:
The Clintons’, Obamas’ and Bidens’ swamp creatures — Big Tech companies and social media, which all are sleeping with the enemy, China, will be the big reset to destroy the accomplishments of Trump, take down America and stomp all over the Constitution.
The liars and cheaters in Washington, D.C., are demented and all should be exposed and thrown in prison.
They are pathetic hypocrites.
Hunter Biden is a product of his daddy — lie, lie, lie. He has a good teacher.
Turnabout is fair play. Let’s treat the Biden family like the Trump family was treated.
Finally, China Joe, get off your butt and go look at the mess you created with the border crisis.
God protect us from the government and keep America safe.
Marge Lunders
Lapwai
Destroying America
Every Republican voted no and 220 Democrats voted yes for the nakedly partisan, 800-page, HR 1, which would legalize voter fraud.
If the Senate passes and Biden signs HR 1, then HR 1 is sure to go to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court will find the bill unconstitutional because it takes power from the states and gives it to the federal government and bureaucrats.
Perhaps, this is part of the bigger plan to bring down America.
The Supreme Court will reject HR 1. Then, Democrats will accuse the Supreme Court (and America) of voter suppression.
Even now, 36 states require a photo ID to vote, and the left propagandizes photo ID as voter suppression.
Democrats will claim they must save America by changing Senate rules. They will end the filibuster rule and then they can pass legislation by 51 votes instead of the present 60 votes.
Next, a Democratic Congress would add six progressive Supreme Court justices to the present nine. This would allow Democrats to redefine the Constitution any way they want.
The future may not happen this way, but Politico on Jan. 27 wrote: “Biden is moving forward with a commission to reform the Supreme Court.”
In addition, the March 16 New York Times wrote: “Biden endorses filibuster rule changes.”
Just like snapping your finger against your thumb, the Constitution, Bill of Rights, capitalism, freedom and liberty are all gone.
Democrats will be free to destroy America, and change her into a totalitarian socialist/communist police state forever.
Jim Emmert
Kamiah
Filled with memories
Back in the 1960s, the Civic Theater building was my childhood church.
What a wonderful place. It was magical to a child.
The balcony was a place of mystery that children stared at wide-eyed, absolutely certain that it was open only to the grownups and that kids would simply disappear if we went up there on our own.
Or maybe it was even the front door to heaven and that God himself might answer if we dared to knock. You could feel the vibrations from the pipe organ as your hands rested on the pew.
Then, when the sun shined through that beautiful stained glass, it was so stunning it almost took your breath away.
The church dinners were always well attended and they felt just like big family dinners at Thanksgiving or Christmas. There was an abundance of great food, kids everywhere and lots of good-natured conversation.
I haven’t thought about all of this in years and now that I have, I find myself smiling. So, I bid farewell to a wonderful old building and to borrow a phrase from Bob Hope: “Thanks for the memories.”
Dale Groenendyk
Soldotna, Alaska
