Huckleberries: Reader questions CdA’s Sherman namesakes

Why does Coeur d’Alene honor William Tecumseh Sherman by naming things after him, wonders Dave Chamberlain of Coeur d’Alene. After all, Chamberlain said on Facebook, didn’t Sherman’s brutal “scorched earth” policy during the Civil War translate into one of extermination and forced resettlement of American Indians? Says Dave: “Why is our main street still named after a deplorable human who wantonly killed white and black and Native American women and children, rounded up the Native Americans at gunpoint and forced them into sterile lands?” Dave’s complaint resonates in the 21st century. Spokane, after all, has given the boot to Columbus Day. And Francis Scott Key of national anthem fame is under the microscope because he was a slave owner. Which brings us back to Dave Chamberlain. He wants the name “Sherman” expunged from Coeur d’Alene places. Huckleberries doesn’t think that will happen. “Sherman Avenue” isn’t going away. Nor is “Coeur d’Alene,” the name given by French trappers for the respected North Idaho Indian tribe. Seems as though the Coeur d’Alenes got the upper hand in the Lake City name game.

Stylin’ clerk

Yeah, that was Kootenai County Clerk Jim Brannon cruisin’ Seltice Way in that 1963 VW bug en route to the Pachyderm Club lunch in Post Falls Friday. Jim had the engine revved up, as much as a VW bug engine can be revved up. Huckleberries heard it during a cellphone call. Zero to 60 in 27.2 seconds, according to the factory guide. Jim, who has owned several VW bugs, picked up this beryl-green one, original paint and all, in February. He takes it out once or twice a week, to keep it running nicely – and because the six-volt battery limits the headlight shine to about 10 feet ahead.

Huckleberries

It’s not every day that you look up from work and see a moose and two mooselings taking a water break in the Spokane River outside your office. That’s what happened Thursday to Paul Amador, a University of Idaho, Coeur d’Alene official and GOP legislative candidate. That’s one of the perks that come from living in North Idaho. The amusing political dysfunction is another bonus … If you’re going to scam someone by calling and saying you’re from UPS, it might be a good idea not to call the wife of a UPS worker. That happened Thursday. And faster than you could say “Sheriff Ben Wolfinger,” KCSO circulated a news release warning about the latest scam … Take a note to – Coeur d’Alene police Chief Lee White. It might be time to switch a few of Lake City’s finest from traffic patrol to traffic light surveillance. A whopping 76 percent of Huckleberries blog readers say more motorists are running red lights today than 10 years ago. Must be those visitors from Spokane … Huckleberries is still forming an answer to that curious question posted outside a Northwest Boulevard dental office last Sunday: “Do you love your dentist?” It all depends on the level of pain involved … Katrina Swaim describes absent-mindedness: “I knew today would be an absent-minded kind of day when I found myself standing in front of my bookcase, looking for something to wear.” A book cover? … Take another note – to that Road Rager who slammed the door on his stalled white Yukon in the turn lane at Highway 95 and Hayden Avenue and ran into a nearby payday loan office Thursday: An ISP trooper was watching. But Angry Guy knows that by now … The motto posted for the WSU Delta Upsilon chapter that was suspended after allegations surfaced of drugging and sexual assault? “We are the men of Delta Upsilon. Justice is our foundation.” Which prompted a Huckleberries blog wag to wonder if the “justice” part should be rendered “Just us”? And: Who cares about you? … One of the best headlines on a Huckleberries blog post? “Megaload to stop near Athol.” In the item readers learned of the progress of a megaload carrying massive equipment from the Port of Lewiston. Huckleberries was reminded of that 2013 headline upon learning that the Idaho Transportation Department is updating megaload rules. Athol remains the butt of local jokes.

Parting Shot

Huckleberries wishes old friend Tom Wobker, The Bard of Sherman Avenue, had lived to see the current playoff run of the Seattle Mariners. His 2004 poem, “Shipwreck,” lamented one of many futile M’s campaigns: “They need to send an SOS/To help a crew that’s in distress,/For it is clear as it can be/The Mariners are lost at sea” … Speaking of The Bard of Sherman Avenue, Tod Marshall tells Huckleberries that work on a book of Tom’s poems continues. Attention has turned to the cover design. Tod, poet laureate for Washington state, estimates the final product will sell for about $10, with all proceeds going to charity. Tod hopes to complete the project by early winter, with a Coeur d’Alene reveal. Stay tuned.

Dave Oliveria blogs about North Idaho’s issues, politics and residents on Huckleberries Online, www.spokesman.com /blogs/hbo. Follow him on Twitter at @HucksOnline.