Chenoweth In Mainstream?

U.S. Rep. Helen Chenoweth had as good a week as possible last week. First, militia gasbag Sam Sherwood dissed the Idaho Republican in a Capitol Hill newspaper, The Hill. Said Sam the Sham: “We had a lot higher hopes. We thought she was constitutionally grounded.” Sherwood is spitting bullets because Give-‘Em-Helen hasn’t pushed hard enough “for the elimination of all foreign bases, all government departments not specified in the Constitution and ‘intrusionary forces’ like the ATF, FBI, CIA, EPA and others.” (Read, the Democrats will have a harder time pinning Our Miss Chenoweth to the militia this year.) But that’s not all. House Speaker Newt Gingrich also dissed Chenoweth for voting against him and legislation to end the federal government shutdown. Newt did so by backing out of a Boise visit on her behalf. Chenoweth still raised more than $100,000 for her campaign and put a little distance between herself and the GOP revolutionary general. Has Helen Chenoweth gone mainstream?

Good intentions don’t justify bad move

Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas’ intentions are good in empaneling a grand jury. He wants to protect sex-crime victims. But those squawking defense attorneys have a legitimate beef: Secret grand jury hearings, conducted without suspects and their attorneys present, invite abuse. Maybe that explains why only three Idaho counties regularly use grand juries. Kootenai County hasn’t had one since the mid-1970s. A grand jury replaces a skilled judge with 16 amateurs who often are putty in the hands of a skilled prosecutor. Madonna’s reluctance to face a stalker in court this month emphasizes the emotional trauma that crime victims face. Under our system of laws, however, defendants have a right to face their accusers. That’s basic. Let’s deep-six this one.

Hydro backers should paddle down to the reservation

In her regular column for the Idaho Statesman, former legislator Jeanne Givens points out we’re all guilty of a minor oversight in the Lake Coeur d’Alene hydroplane debate. No one has asked the Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe what it thinks about the races. After all, the tribe has a solid claim to the southern end of the lake and a pretty good one to the northern end, too. The Coeur d’Alenes’ legal claim remains in the courts. Givens suggests hydroplane cheerleader Pat McGaughey and the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce take their proposal before the tribal council. “Given the choice,” concludes Givens, “the tribe probably would support canoe racing over hydroplanes.”

, DataTimes MEMO: D.F. Oliveria’s “Hot Potatoes” runs Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can comment on the items by calling (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125.