Tuesday's speech to students by President Barack Obama could be considered one of his most controversial so far. In recent days, school districts around the area have been flooded with e-mails and phone calls regarding the President's address. Many parents are threatening to take their students out of school for the day if their school airs the presidential broadcast. This conduct by parents sets a very poor example for the kids. I wonder what the parents are afraid of? This conduct opens the door for the KKK and other white supremacist groups. If they establish a foot hold you will get to see first hand what a burning cross looks like. That is what they do when they don't want you around.

Alaska's Mt. Redoubt volcano erupts with five major explosions; ash cloud ascends 50,000 feet.

Its the wolves fault and they caused the earth quake in Jackson too.

No - it was the Repuclicans.

This should be headline news, I wounder why it is not.
Please go read the referenced site,

Reston, VA - North Dakota and Montana have an estimated 3.0 to 4.3
billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in an
area known as the Bakken Formation. That seems to be a little less
than some odd trillion?
A U.S. Geological Survey assessment, released April 10, shows a 25-
fold increase in the amount of oil that can be recovered compared to
the agency's 1995 estimate of 151 million barrels of oil.
The Bakken Formation estimate is larger than all other current USGS
oil assessments of the lower 48 states and is the
largest "continuous" oil accumulation ever assessed by the USGS.
A "continuous" oil accumulation means that the oil resource is
dispersed throughout a geologic formation rather than existing as
discrete, localized occurrences. The next largest "continuous" oil
accumulation in the U.S. is in the Austin Chalk of Texas and
Louisiana, with an undiscovered estimate of 1.0 billions of barrels
of technically...

Ex-President Bush on pardons
Thumbs down to former President George W. Bush for not pardoning Sgt. Evan Vela. Instead of hearkening to Idaho’s congressmen and the opinions of area folks who would probably be considered loyal constituents, Bush decided to punt the future of the scapegoat in the killing of Iraqi citizen, Genei Nasir al-Janabi.
This decision brings only more sadness and bitterness to Vela’s family, while at the same time, lessoning the already poor opinion most folks seem to have of Bush.
Bush felt it right to commute the sentences of two former Border Patrol officers for their killing of a Mexican drug dealer, then why not a loyal soldier in the line of duty?

Legislature pay
Thumbs up to the Idaho Legislature that is in the process of rejecting its 5 percent pay raise.
The Associated Press reported that rejecting the pay increase could save the state around $180,000. Gov. Otter also got into the spirit.
Even though he legally can’t reject his pay raise of 3 percent, he will donate the raise of $3,...

How do we get out of the economic mess?
The secret isn’t as grand as you might think. The answer isn’t bailouts. It isn’t another swing of tax rebates.
If you’re up on your fairy tales, you already know the first step toward the exit.
Recall “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen. A pair of swindlers masquerading as tailors claimed to make the ruler an outfit of such fine cloth, it was invisible only to the stupid. You know the rest — no one dared to admit the cloth wasn’t there. Instead, everyone praised the duds until a child pointed out the emperor was streaking through town.
Some in the community have said how insulated our economy is here, how well dressed and shielded it is compared to the rest of the nation. And yet we’ve seen the numbers. If we’re so insulated, why are we seeing so many job cuts in the local news? Why so few job listings? Why has the number of building permits decreased?
On the other hand, the upper valley economy isn’t stark naked — not yet. Housing foreclosures aren’t as...

Is the substitute mayor of the community of St Anthony a "last rose withering on the vine"?? His monthly news letter to the "town folk" indicates he failed to pass grammer 101? Did he graduate high school?? Maybe the last mayor wasn't so bad after all. No policing, we want to be the nicest "kids" in the area. Nice to have the police only working 4 hours a day. At least I know the best time to visit the local hot spots, there are 4 on main street. What a deal!!!!!

It has been mentioned that the St. Anthony City Police Department is currently providing 20 hours of coverage to the City of St.Anthony. They are paying the Fremont County Sheriff's Department to cover the other 4 hours.
It has been stated that the City Police Department could provide full coverage with the staff they have if they went to 8 hour shifts. Is this type of management the best value for your tax dollar?

Note: Our View published in the 1-3-09 Standard Journal.

The Standard Journal editorial board members have been hard at work looking into their crystal balls for a few predictions for the coming year.

• The recession limbo will end. This will happen within the first half of the year. The recession isn’t leading into a depression but is simply a bloated market righting itself.
• Another recall effort will happen in Fremont County. We had two in the past year. This year, how will people react to officials whose hands are tied with slashed budgets?
• The Rexburg pool will make little headway, if any. People will continue to moan about the Spray Park.
• Gay rights movement will become less antagonizing and more persuasive.
• Our overly protective society will become more so. Good luck finding a root beer at any public school in the country by December. Now, if only coleslaw got the same attention! Meanwhile, people will get fatter anyway. Also, some common medicine will be banned or highly discouraged for children while...

Note: The following is a letter to President George W. Bush on behalf of Sgt. Evan Vela, the Idaho soldier convicted of murder. For details on how you can help Vela, visit www.freeevanvela.com.

Dear President Bush,

The Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., military prison holds a man in his 20s convicted of murder ­— Army Sgt. Evan Vela of southeastern Idaho. The conviction was wrong, and we are asking you to pardon him.
Mr. Bush, Vela is not a war criminal. He is a political prisoner. Here’s why.
Vela did kill Iraqi civilian Genei Nasir al-Janabi. We do not deny this. But we invite to you take a look at the circumstances surrounding the incident. It was not a random act of violence or rage.
Vela was part of a five-man sniper team in Iskandariya in May 2007. The team stumbled onto al-Janabi and his son.
Staff Sgt. Michael Hensley, Vela’s commanding officer, ordered him to shoot al-Janabi, and Vela followed the order.
Your first reaction to this may have been, “What was Vela thinking? How could anyone, soldier or not, shoot a civilian...

Note: The following appeared in the Saturday, 12-13-08, Standard Journal as Our View.

This week Fremont County Sheriff Ralph Davis announced a part-time deputy is stepping into a full-time position and plans to fill three more vacancies.
Normally, the hiring inside the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t turn too many heads, except for the fact that Davis is a lame-duck sheriff who hired people against the wishes of both the County Commission and Sheriff-elect Len Humphries.
First, did the County Commission overstep its bounds when it called for a hiring freeze it couldn’t enforce?
Fiscal responsibility is called for in these times of economic downturn, and the call for a hiring freeze seems a prudent measure. Even if it can’t be legally enforced, it is a wise move.
But, Fremont County is a very large county, requiring a full staff to patrol it. The loss of four people from the Sheriff’s Office can make an impact in terms of coverage, so on the face of it, the hiring is applauded.
Davis said the issue is safety in the county,...

Note: Published as Our View on 6A of the Saturday, Dec. 6, Standard Journal.
On Monday, Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter announced that the state will lose another 3 percent off its budget in 2009.
This followed a similar announcement in September, when state agencies learned of a 1 percent hold back of funds, which would take place in 2009.
Among institutions hardest hit by the loss of funding were education, health care and the prison system.
While the public schools had “rainy day” funds to draw from, juvenile corrections, which has significant impact on the economy in Fremont County, is already feeling the pinch.
The Five-County Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Center in St. Anthony had already taken steps to try and soften the blow with a hiring freeze, before the governor had announced the budget setback. But with the loss of more and more funds from the state, the five counties that send juveniles to the center will have to contribute more money to the center, further depleting local coffers.
It has also...

Webmaster's note: This Our View editorial appeared in 6A of Saturday, Nov. 29's paper.

There’s something strange afoot in Fremont County.
As an editorial board, we wonder why residents are so dissatisfied with their leaders, many of whom they voted for. We aren’t just referring to recall petitions circulating through St. Anthony or Mayor Bill Beck’s sudden resignation.
Look through older copies of the newspaper. The Parker mayor was recalled. This was the second attempt to get Beck out of office. In the past year, it’s been tough to be an incumbent in the county and St. Anthony.
We came up with a few possibilities. Keep in mind that we are not trying to stereotype the people of Fremont County, say that local officials are infallible or condemn anyone who gets involved in the government process. We are trying to understand the logic behind the actions.

VOTERS ARE NOT AS INFORMED AS THEY SHOULD BE
Why else oust nearly everyone who steps into power? Obviously the person voters saw before the election and after differed....

On the night of Nov. 4, the United States appeared to have a spirit of unity it hadn't seen in a long time -- probably since 9/11. Do you think the nation will revert back to the contentiousness of the past few years, or will Barack Obama be able to keep America together?

What do you expect to see from his presidency? Will the economy recover or even prosper? Will he be able to follow up with bringing our troops home? Is his win a guarantee for a more liberal Supreme Court, or do you think its makeup will be about the same?

Answer any or all of these. We want your opinion!

-- uvtalks.com

Before you vote, consider the National Debt, which has increased under the Bush/Reagan terms and the current Bush term. WOW, and did Clinton's term actually decrease this National Debt?????????????????

I came across an old copy of the Island Park News this week that contains a story about Skip Hurt running for his second term as commissioner. I got a good laugh out of it. His first key area of concern is the financial health of the county. If he's so concerned, how can he justify his salary increase and many of the other expenditures he has approved. Like tearing down the old school district building when the county is worried about office space for the extension service and the attorney? He is concerned about the new comprehensive plan, and now that it's been completed, he and the other commissioners are dragging their feet about approving it. He took credit for the snowmobile advisory committee in Island Park. He has nothing to do with it. He secured the grant for the milfoil weed project. I think not. He negotiated the turn lanes at the Red Rock Road in Island Park. Bull. That was in the works long before he came along. He secured the land for the proposed EMS building in Island Park. He's only delayed the...

Cheers to the Rexburg PD!!
(especially the officer who literally risked his life walking back and forth across the street)
They ran a sting today and nabbed 9 people for failing to yield to a pedestrian! And this was in just one hour!
The footage was on Channel 3 news and I've attached it to this post.
Kudos to Nate Eaton for his taping of this but as he said near the end, there's soon going to be a population increase of 13,000 in town. Let's hope all will be safe this year. Let's all do our part and watch closely at all crosswalks.
Thanks again for running this operation. Keep up the good work!

Thank you to the St. A. garbage police for reminding me that I can be fined and jailed for not putting away my pretty blue garbage can. I will do my best, however, i'm not as young as I used to be, and my memory gets a little foggy at times and I tend to forget the important things. But, that's OK! To be on the safe side I may have to hide the can in the bushes behind my house and take my own garbage to the dump once in a while. Or I could paint it pink I suppose. Maybe no one will notice.

Paperboy,
I saw the pictures and videos you posted today. I hope you forwarded them to the police department! People in this area are insane when it comes to pedestrians in crosswalks.
One would think in light of all the recent accidents, correction, collisions in crosswalks, not to mention the front page articles, that people would be a bit more cautious. Not just for safety sake but for the possibility of a ticket due to increased patrols!
Are the police actively patroling crosswalks to send up some red flares? I would hope that there would be one officer with a couple of people using the crosswalks to bait these idiots! Something needs to be done before it's not just an out of town student but one of our kids!

I live in Sugar City and I'm embarrased. I'm ashamed by the way two people, one concerned citizen and one very public figure, use this forum to continulally bash and attempt to publicly humiliate one another. Mrs. Gallup, although personal in some of her attacks, is well within her rights to inform our community of what is happening within our city government. I for one appreciate her efforts. Sending "personal notes being sarcastic and very childish", if that truly be the case, are just that...personal, not meant for publication. Being sarcastic and childish is albeit unprofessional but also very subjective.
Mr. Harris, with all due respect to his position and contributions to this city, is also within his rights to defend himself. But to resort to name calling, belittling, or condecention ("she should take some headache medication and rest" 21June08 UVSJ) is beneath even the lowest politician. As an elected official I would think he would curtail his hitting below the belt in public. Personal attacks...

I already mentioned the worst. Now it's time for the best. I've seen a few quoted on resumes. You hear them all the time. You don't even have to see the movie to know the really good ones. Chances are you'll read a few on T-shirts.
So here's a list of my favorite movie lines:

10. "You never had a camera inside my head," Jim Carrey, Truman Show.
9. "...I'm a columnist." "You're not a columnist. You're a reporter who writes long," Randy Quaid and Michael Keaton in the paper.
8. "I want the truth!" "You can't handle the truth!" Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, A Few Good Men.
7. "Dear Wheeler: you provide the prose poems. I'll provide the war." Orson Wells Citizen Kane
6. "Luke, I am your father." James Earl Jones, Empire Strikes Back.
5. "You've got an overdeveloped sense of vengeance. It's going to get you in trouble someday." Christopher Guest, Princess Bride.
4. "I'm a ring-tailed roarer. I can draw faster, shoot straighter, ride harder and drink longer than any man alive. I ride cyclones and I wrestle –" "You got a name,...

Why is it that the Rex Theatre managers think that they can get another waiver of their taxes? They have already gotten more than anyone could have imagined. And in addition to that they want the assessed value of their property reduced based on the assumption of a future sale. When the sale goes through officially then you can use that as a basis for value.

If the Rex can't be profitable because of property taxes that they (and everyone else) have to pay. Then maybe we should let them go out of business. It wouldn't be long before an entrepreneur came in and opened a theatre that is profitable through good management.

I'll tell you what. I'm getting tired of almost being nailed by vehicles. Both on my bike and on foot. I think I'll start carrying a camera with me and posting videos here of cars who almost kill those who choose to move around by our own power.

How many times have you been sitting there, watching a movie, when you suddenly realize what's coming. Your stomach starts to churn. You whisper to yourself, "No, they wouldn't say it. It would turn the movie into cheese."
You whisper a prayer that the writer showed restraint. But no. It comes. The character says something that no one else would ever say. If they did say it, their friends would slap them.
It has ruined movies. Don't believe me? Go watch the '90's film "Batman and Robin." It ruined the franchise. On that note, here's my list of the Top 10 worst movie lines ever:
10. "That's OK, I don't shop here." Sylvester Stallone in Cobra, in response to a man who threatened to blow up a grocery store.
9. "Don't leave me. (CRASH! BOOM!) You didn't leave me!" "I had nowhere else to go." Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reaves in Speed during the final scene on the subway train.
8. "This isn't a hockey game, it's a circus." One of those tweeners on Mighty Ducks 2.
7. "Take two of these and call me in the morning." Arnold...

UV Talks is the community news portal for the upper valley. Upload pictures and videos, start discussions, and blogs about your community, your family, and friends. Post comments and additional information about news stories that have ran (or should run) In the paper or on TV. Its your choice. It's UV Talks