New at Reason

Radley Balko | October 31, 2006

Dave Weigel profiles libertarian-ish Idaho gubernatorial candidate Butch Otter.

Comments

|10.31.06 @ 12:21PM|#

Good article, David.

Far from an ideal candidate but certainly better than most. It will be interesting to see how his time in office turns out.

|10.31.06 @ 12:51PM|#

I don't see why people's brains shut down when they start talking about flag burning. His defense of his position is plain ol' nonsense. I can't burn a Nike swoosh or a Simplot Potato bag?

|10.31.06 @ 1:13PM|#

The flag position is a tricky one. Although the First Amendment is a strong argument in favor of our being allowed to do with the flag what we please, the sheer number of folks who've died for the flag and the ideals it represents makes it difficult to have any sympathy for those who would burn it. As a servicemember I think it's especially difficult for me to say that it should be legal, although I hesitate to say there should be criminal penalties for it. Just suffice to say that I'll defend your legal right to burn it, I'll just beat the shit out of you if you do.

|10.31.06 @ 1:24PM|#

andy:

My sentiment exactly.
If someone chooses to exercise their lawful right to burn my flag, they should be prepared to suffer the unlawful consequences.

|10.31.06 @ 1:29PM|#

Great article, David.

As for the dyed cloth amendment - I don't get it either.

|10.31.06 @ 1:46PM|#

"The people of Idaho love their public land," Brady says. "That's where they hunt and fish and pick huckleberries. People worry when you say 'sell 5 million acres' without saying which 5 million acres.

That's quite true. Specific interests in Idaho dislike so much land being public; loggers, ranchers, etc. But (and this is strictly anecdotal) my feeling, from growing up there and visiting regularly, is that most Idahoans relish the fact that they have so much easily accessible outdoor recreation and wilderness.

And I think a disctinction *could* be made between disliking the *idea* of public land and disliking how it's managed. If management policy were turned back to 1960, I don't think any Idahoans would have any problem with public land.

|10.31.06 @ 3:45PM|#

But (and this is strictly anecdotal) my feeling, from growing up there and visiting regularly, is that most Idahoans relish the fact that they have so much easily accessible outdoor recreation and wilderness.
We do. Growing up in Boise (which is by no means huge, but a relatively big city), I always loved the fact that I could find great fishing, hiking, and backpacking spots less than an hour away. Can't say that I've ever lived in another large city, but I can imagine that's pretty rare.

|10.31.06 @ 4:21PM|#

Just suffice to say that I'll defend your legal right to burn it, I'll just beat the shit out of you if you do.

Deal.

Larry A|10.31.06 @ 5:13PM|#

The great irony of the flag-burning amendment is that the stars and stripes it seeks to protect were first assembled in the light of burning British Union Jacks. We were born a nation of flag-burners, and for the sake of liberty should not lay aside that tradition.

Renob|10.31.06 @ 5:18PM|#

I grew up in rural Idaho and the public land issue is a vexing one. On the one hand, most rural Idahoans are fairly libertarian -- they like their guns, they dislike the government telling them what to do, quite a few home school, etc. However, they also like the fact that there is ample public land that gives them the opportunity to fish, hunt, hike, etc. On the other hand, they dislike the fact that a bureaucracy in D.C. tells them what they can do on that land. This is especially true when the feds start restricting logging, mining, and ranching on public land.

The vast amount of public land in Idaho (roughly 60% of the state) indicates that a few million acres could easily be sold and no one would miss it. However, when you talk about selling public land, the public's perception is that their favorite fishing/hunting/hiking land is about to be sold. It may or may not be true, but that is what sinks most talk of selling public land in the state.

Butch is a good guy and I understand why he backed down from his support of selling this land. I just wish he would have taken the opportunity to educate the public on just how much public land is in Idaho and how destructive this land is to the state's economy.