The Idaho Liberal Civil War

There’s been a pretty interesting drama going on at 43rd State Blues. It all started when Boise Weekly relieved Jill Kuratis of her current column. (I blogged about Kuratis’ idea that an 80% GOP Majority was bullying the Democrats by acting like an 80% majority) This led to some angst by iansensteng who wrote a letter to the Boise Weekly calling for Kuratis’ reinstatement. Regarding the post, the writer says:

This post has been the fastest spreading, most read article on our little blog site to date. Since I posted it yesterday, it has gotten hundreds of hits from people across the state.

Now, by hundreds, they mean 265 people. The author then posts comments that are absurd:

“I’m a newcomer to Idaho — here on a temporary work assignment. I planned to keep my head down while I was here in what I considered to be a “dreadful place.” Luckily I found the Weekly after a few months and Idaho started to seem a bit more livable.

I had no interest in following Idaho politics at all until I read Unda the Rotunda a few weeks ago. I started reading this blog and Red State Rebels, and I think I can actually name a couple of Idaho officeholders.

Now you tell me the Unda the Rotunda writer is fired? What’s wrong? Do I have to go back to hiding out and counting the days until I can reenter the civilized world?”

Wow, I’m a transient here temporarily and I hate your state. Bring back this column or I’ll start acting like a stuck up transient:

Just the other day, I posted about the “dangers of speaking up”… the nasty phone calls to your home, the attempts at banishment from your church, etc.

I thought I was bordering on paranoia… but it looks like I was wrong. It looks like those in power truly are afraid of those who are trying to point out the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes, and are willing to do whatever they can to shut us up.-Diana Rowe Pauls

Oh no, big brother got to Boise Weekly. Say it ain’t so. They got Jill Kuratis fired! Or did they? Bingo Barnes of Boise Weekly responded:

I wish to clear something up here. Jill Kuratis was not fired from writing for Boise Weekly. We assigned a new writer, Shea Andersen, who writes for Reuters and New West, for the remainder of the legislative session for our Unda The Rotunda news column. We still anticipate Jill Kuratis taking on specific issues regarding important and relative topics going on in state and local governments. Please correct this in your posts so that I stop getting hate mail.

In other words, Jill Kuratis was re-assigned. Note, that Bingo wants to stop the hate mail. (He doesn’t mind feedback but hate mail is another thing.) To this the writer responds:

As to details regarding Jill’s employment status, I think you’re splitting hairs to a certain extent. What you’re describing are internal organizational and employment technicalities that are somewhat irrelevant to the world of your readership.

So its irrelevant that she still works for the paper.

What’s worse than an extreme minority that goes off on far left tangents that offend the viewpoints of most Idahoans? An extreme minority that’s at each other’s throats over a trivial issue. Such is the situation when the Liberal Idaho blogs go after the Liberal Idaho press.

Now Jill Kuratis posted a response expressing her support for the paper, but I don’t expect that to calm things down.

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