JEERS ... to Idaho Gov. Brad Little.

Just what the hell was he thinking?

Under Idaho law, Little automatically transferred his executive authority to Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin when he left the state to attend the Republican Governors Association meeting at Nashville, Tenn.

Thursday, she instantly used those powers to sign an executive order banning mask mandates throughout the state.

Never mind that Little never imposed a statewide mandate, even when it might have helped curtail Idaho’s escalating COVID-19 infections at the worst of the pandemic.

Never mind that the Legislature failed to preempt regional health districts, cities and counties or school districts from implementing their own mandates.

Never mind that many of those mandates — including those adopted by the cities of Lewiston, Moscow, Boise, McCall and Pocatello, as well as the Lewiston School District — have been terminated.

Never mind that in so doing, McGeachin is second-guessing the judgment of schools in Boise, Meridian and Coeur d’Alene.

As Melissa Davlin and Ruth Brown of Idaho Reports noted, McGeachin failed to give any of them a heads up about her intentions.

Never mind that McGeachin accused Little of engaging in executive overreach during the pandemic.

And, yes, part of the job does require Idaho’s governor to travel outside the Gem State.

Little has done so sparingly. His office says he left Idaho three times last year — including a trip to the White House in July at President Donald Trump’s invitation.

He hasn’t vacationed outside Idaho in two years.

But how many clues does he need to realize he can’t trust McGeachin?

When Little left the state momentarily two years ago, McGeachin used her status as acting governor to hobnob with her acolytes among the anti-government militia movement known as the 3 Percenters.

After undermining Little’s pandemic response for a year, she’s challenging him in the GOP gubernatorial primary.

If you won’t look out for yourself, Governor, what about us?

Did you think about that?

CHEERS ... to Congressman Mike Simpson, R-Idaho.

Along with 34 other House Republicans — including Washington’s Dan Newhouse and Jaime Herrera Beutler — Simpson last week bucked Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy along with Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., by supporting an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection of the U.S Capitol.

The 10-member commission — modeled after a successful approach that explored what went wrong during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — would be evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, who would share subpoena power.

What sets Simpson apart is a willingness to put the country first. It’s courageous, but — considering the genetic code of the current Republican Party — downright politically suicidal.

JEERS ... to state Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird.

Why does she even bother showing up at the Legislature when all she really needs is marching orders from Idaho Freedom Foundation President Wayne Hoffman?

Hoffman’s group ranked about 120 votes.

How many times did Giddings break ranks?

Not once.

Not when it came to legalization of hemp.

Not when it meant raising the legal age to consume tobacco to 21.

Not even something as mundane as requiring rental management agencies to safeguard tenants’ deposit checks.

Rep. Mike Kingsley and former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger, both R-Lewiston, were not far behind. IFF ranked their subservience at 95 percent and 93 percent respectively.

Giddings’ seat mate, Rep. Charlie Shepherd, R-Pollock, came in at 83 percent.

CHEERS ... to Rep. Caroline Nilsson Troy, R-Genesee.

More than 35 times this year, Troy deviated from the IFF party line.

For example, the Freedom Foundation wanted to stop schools from running desperately needed supplemental levy elections in August — an obvious sign of financial distress. Troy voted no.

The Freedom Foundation wanted to strip public schools of money if they did not provide in-person instruction during the worst pandemic in a century. Troy said no.

So she wound up with a score of 57 percent.

Sen. Carl Crabtree, R-Grangeville, and Rep. Brandon Mitchell, R-Moscow, both scored 73 percent. Sen. Dan Johnson, R-Lewiston, did even better at 60 percent. And Sen. David Nelson, D-Moscow, came in at 40 percent.

If the Freedom Foundation is unhappy, it means these legislators are thinking for themselves.

JEERS ... to Idaho House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, and Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise.

It’s bad enough they want to strip Idahoans of their initiative and referendum rights.

But they want to charge you extra in the process.

Reclaim Idaho is suing to overturn the Legislature’s handiwork, which — by requiring initiative campaigns to round up 6 percent of the registered voters in all 35 legislative districts — has made it virtually impossible for a grassroots group to qualify for the ballot.

Defending the statute is the job of Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, who will assign one of his deputies to appear before the Idaho Supreme Court. On average, a deputy attorney general earns about $65 an hour.

Instead, Bedke and Winder want to hire their own attorney — William G. Myers III of Boise — to appear on the Legislature’s behalf.

According to Betsy Russell of the Idaho Press, Myers bills at $470 an hour.

Winder says it’s worth the extra money “as long as you win.”

Who is he kidding? Myers can’t change the law or the facts. He’ll make the same points as Wasden’s office.

More than six years ago, Winder hired Myers to advise the public lands task force the Boise Republican was co-chairing. In the end, Myers reached the same legal conclusions as Deputy Attorney General Steve Strack — but not before Idaho paid him more than $60,000.

How much do you think Myers’ service will cost taxpayers this time? — M.T.