A guest editorial from today's Idaho Statesman (Boise).
"A rabbi’s warning to America about Idaho’s Christian nationalism"
Opinion By Rabbi Daniel Fink

I'd rather live in a Christian-based country than jewish or muslim or woke ... even if Christians do not consider me Christian.
Y'all knew I was right-wing when I started this blog.

The Idaho Statesman is a left-wing paper which supports Idaho becoming yet another woke state. The Boise city government is deep blue, the most populous metro region in the state by far, the state capital, and in full support of sanctuary status, "affordable housing", light rail, and other such money sinks.
"You're free to have your opinion as long as it agrees with ours"

On to Fink's editorial:

I’ve learned it is rarely a good thing when national media features Idaho. It’s often about the state’s horrifying abundance of right-wing extremism. No different was a recent New York Times piece spotlighting Doug Wilson, a self-described theocrat and pastor based in Moscow, Idaho, whose disciples now include powerful MAGA acolytes in the federal government.

I urge all Americans to stand up for true freedom and reject Christian nationalism.

For many years, I hoped that Idaho would moderate to grow more like the rest of America. Instead, America is becoming more like Idaho. Religious reactionaries like Wilson have emerged to lead a far-reaching movement to cement power in the hands of a theocratic minority. Their goal is clear: Replace democratic governance with fundamentalist rule.

Idaho’s reactionary right-wingers are hell-bent on creating a Christian nationalist dystopia, and residents are suffering. Far-right extremists and militia members — often heavily armed with assault weapons and hiding their faces with masks — regularly occupy public spaces. They’ve normalized intimidation and exclusion in the name of faith. Their fear tactics are working, especially in our statehouse, where the lopsided Republican Legislature has unleashed a torrent of laws to undermine Idahoans’ fundamental freedoms.

Despite its longtime libertarian reputation, Idaho now has one of the nation’s most extreme abortion bans, which has driven OB-GYNs and young families out of the state in record numbers. The ban has put the health and lives of women who remain in Idaho at profound risk.

The legislature has also continuously targeted the LGBTQ+ community, banning displays of Pride flags, curtailing medical care for transgender individuals, and even calling to reverse same-sex marriage rights. Christian nationalist lawmakers have slashed Medicaid and pushed an out-of-state-billionaire-backed school voucher bill that undermines public education and funnels taxpayer dollars to religious institutions — in clear violation of Idaho’s state constitution.

Far-right out-of-state groups fund this nightmare, bankrolling reactionary candidates against moderate Republicans who once joined with Democrats to support public schools and defend personal liberties.

With the Trump administration in the White House, Idaho’s extremist takeover should serve as a cautionary tale for all Americans. Christian nationalists have been waiting for an ally like President Trump for many decades. His actions have emboldened lawmakers across the country to follow the Idaho agenda, from book bans to abortion rollbacks and anti-trans bills.

It is no coincidence that Trump appointed Pete Hegseth — a prominent disciple of Pastor Wilson’s church network — as Secretary of Defense. Hegseth re-posted a CNN video in which Wilson and other Christ Church pastors argued that women should not be allowed to vote. The president’s so-called “Religious Liberty Commission” is riddled with televangelists and misogynistic extremists. They share a devotion to Christian nationalism that demonizes LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, women, and people of color.

I’ve seen what this agenda has done to Idaho. It should serve as a warning for all Americans. If you care about democracy and human decency, now is the time to raise your voice in pulpits, halls of power, and protests on our streets. Our response will determine whether we remain a nation that moves slowly toward greater empathy and tolerance or devolve into one that anoints a chosen few above all others.

Here in Idaho, faith leaders and community coalitions are mobilizing for civil disobedience, lawmaker visits, and peaceful protest when legislators return to session on Jan. 5. That includes organizing bail funds and securing pro-bono legal support. Our message of “live and let live” resonates with those wary of government-mandated religious law, no matter their political affiliation. If we can do this, you can, too — wherever you work and live.

Idaho should serve as a call to action rather than a harbinger of a national dystopia. The freedoms of millions of our neighbors are at stake.

I urge people across all walks of life to stand up for true freedom and resist the Christian nationalist agenda. Our voices matter. I pray we find the strength and courage to use them well.

Daniel Fink is Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel in Boise, Idaho.

I don't really care one way or the other about "Jews" in general, anymore than I care about Catholics or Baptists; I'm usually not even aware of who may or may not be Jewish - and it rarely matters. Israel has the right to exist ... as long as they are able to defend themselves. But Israel is not a US state and doesn't need our support (remember the USS Liberty?)

However, this is a Christian-based country which does not dictate a State religion (as did many European countries back when) and has the tolerance to allow people of all faiths to worship more or less as they choose - or not. I will take this guy's opinions as independent of his faith ... not that he appears to be willing to accept our opinions of faith. "Tolerance for the sake of tolerance is not a virtue"

This guy - rabbi or not - is so far off my beliefs that I could consider him an "enemy" if it really came down to it.

"Far-right extremists and militia members — often heavily armed with assault weapons and hiding their faces with masks — regularly occupy public spaces."
Seems to me that's the far-left Antifa people hiding their faces. See Portland as an example.

"Idaho now has one of the nation’s most extreme abortion bans, which has driven OB-GYNs and young families out of the state in record numbers."
Abortion is murder. Reality and circumstances suggest exceptions should be accepted but ... murder it is. If you feel differently and that strongly, there are other places to live.

"The legislature has also continuously targeted the LGBTQ+ community, banning displays of Pride flags, curtailing medical care for transgender individuals, and even calling to reverse same-sex marriage rights."
Rights? Seems they have more "rights" than most people. The ban on TranzyFlags applies to government buildings - which ban all but official government flags (US and State flags). The curtailment is against tranzy surgery for minors.

I could pick apart almost every paragraph this ding-dong presents. I'm happy to live in Idaho where the "woke" are usually discouraged ... but the Boise city government wants Idaho to be another Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado. There are plenty of places where this guy would be welcome with his views. I'd like to invite him to move to one of those places.

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Someone recently reprinted this Far Side cartoon and it brought back memories ... and you have the dubious privilege of having me tell of them.

Sometime back in the early 90s, I had a job supervising aerial oil surveys over the upper headwaters of the Amazon and foothills of the east slope of the Andes in eastern Peru. "Supervising" being a relative term; it was me and the pilot.

We left from a small private airport east of Denver (which no longer exists) and flew by hops down to Pucallpa, Peru (8°23′S 74°31′W; 500ft elevation) where we based operations. Pucallpa is the regional capital and sits on the banks of the Ucayali River, the primary headwater of the Amazon River.

We buzzed around over the jungles at the eastern foothills of the Andes in a plane like this one: a Piper Aztec (after flying it down from Denver). There were the two front seats and 4 passenger seats - in our case, the passenger seats were removed and the cargo space filled with survey and recording equipment. A video recorder was pointed straight down through a hole in the fuselage and the magnetic field sensors were located at the end of a 10-foot stinger off the rear tail.

For some reason, this seemed to attract the attention of the DEA ...

It also attracted the attention of the Sendero Luminoso. The latter shot at us, the former didn't (I think) ... but they were very, very interested.

We were based at the military side of the airport which led to some interesting situations but all was good.

Don't drink the water, use ice cubes, or eat fresh vegetables in a third-world on a first-world stomach.

So to the point of this story:

We were buzzing around on gridded flight patterns that were very similar to plowing a field: 100 km one way, turn around, shift over a few km, repeat in the other direction. Repeat as necessary. 6 days a week for 3 months.

I was the equipment operator; this required me to be prone on top of a platform between the equipment. On one of our flights, I heard the pilot telling me to hang on.

It's wet in the equatorial jungle. Makes Seattle look dry. Clouds form at the uplift of the mountains. GPS didn't really exist yet, the region was not fully surveyed.

The ceiling of this plane is just shy of 19,000 ft. The Andes rise to over 20,000 feet. We came out of the clouds and saw dirt. And trees. One should not see dirt and trees in front of you when staring out the front window of an airplane at 15,000 feet.

All I could do was grip the equipment rails and try to hold still so as to not upset the balance of the plane. I didn't know this plane could perform this maneuver. We pulled up and over ... and headed back to base; that was enough flying for the day.

When we landed, the pilot told me he had undergone a transformation: "I took off as a man; I landed as a chicken".

One does not expect a camera pointed down from an airplane to record images of the undersides of leaves ...

When the surveys were completed, we flew back to Lima, and the pilot took the plane back home to Denver; I took the opportunity to visit Machu Picchu.

Another tale, same trip ...

While in Lima, I arranged to join an English-speaking tour group to Cusco. I was accepted (Yankee dollars) but I was the last-minute addition. Caught the red-eye flight out of Lima (sea level) to Cusco (11,000 ft). Only a bit over 1 hour flight

Cusco is in a valley ... the mountains surrounding Cusco rise to over 20,000 feet.

So anyway, being the last-minute tail-end Charlie of the group, I had to stay at a different hotel than the one the tour group had booked - Cusco is a tourist town after all, it was August, and the hotels were booked. The group I was with were Europeans and Australians just coming in from the Galapagos; I was the only American. They didn't hate us then.

It was an early AM flight; I got dropped off first at a place the tour company arranged for me and the rest of the group went to their hotel.

Coffee. It's time for coffee.

I was the only person in this dining room. Not even staff.

All of a sudden, some little guy came out of the back, presented me with a cup of camomile tea - so I thought, and left before I could speak (No habla Espanol).

"Wait a minute! I want some coffee!"

But the tea was hot and it was cold out. Took a sip.

"Wow! That's better than coffee!"

Turned out that the camomile tea was actually coca tea. Coca is legal and common there (I could buy a box of coca leaves the size of Celestial Seasonings tea boxes for 50¢ American at the airport. I had the thought that may not be a good idea).

Everything we expect coffee to be. Wide awake and full of energy. Must be bad for you ...

Turns out coca tea is a good for reducing the effects of altitude sickness. Having been adapted to Colorado altitudes (Leadville is at the same altitude), I wasn't affected but the rest of the group were sea-level people. Serving coca tea to tourists is a routine.

Spent some time wandering around Cusco ...

Having joined the group got me accommodations and tickets but I was essentially on my own; the group's tour bus was full. Last minute Charlie effect. I hired an English-speaking guide for an auto tour of the area. Most of the drive was between 11,000 and 13,000 feet ... in the valleys.

Came back then caught the train to Machu Picchu the next day. Other than the flight over (when most of the group were taking naps on the red-eye), this was the only time I was with the tour group.

Caught the flight from Cusco to Lima the next day; stayed at the Lima airport to catch an American Airlines flight to Miami, then a domestic flight back to Denver.

Worst part of the trip? Coming through the Miami airport on the way home.

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Down in SW Wyoming and into Utah not far from where Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado come together is the lesser-known Flaming Gorge Reservoir and National Recreation Area. Named by John Wesley Powell during his 1869 expedition down the Green River, the reservoir was formed in 1964 when the river was dammed.

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Cheney's funeral is today - maybe right now as I write this. I hope they remember to shove a silver stake through where his heart should have been before they plant him (it's not his heart; they had to give him one via transplant).

I hope no one gets the impression I don't think he was one of the most evil people in the history of the US government.

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are karens with robes (including that most karen of judges, Boasberg)

"Judge Blocks Trump From Power-Washing Office Building Near White House"

"Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered Trump not to power wash the filthy Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) next to the White House."

How is this even a judge's business? Can't clean the grime of the city off a government building? Granted the inside perhaps needs more cleaning than the outside, but still ...

As an article asks: "we have to ask why we had an election a year ago to pick a president when judges can simply prevent him from doing anything they don't approve of?"

My civics class suggested only the Supreme Court has jurisdiction with the Executive branch. The captains are telling the generals what they can and can't do.

There's no fixing the problems of this country without extreme measures of some sort.

"You might not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you"

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