We have intersected with Rte. 95 in northern Idaho. Our next tour route will be down 95 almost all the way to the southern U.S. border. Border to border, this trip has been referred to as: “The hard ride of 95.” …We attended a Baptist service in Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho where the pastor said each profession, if done with God’s will in mind, can be considered a: vocation. The pastor said when a member of his congregation was recently asked what he did for a living, he replied: “I’m an ordained plumber.” …Later in the day, I smiled and told Janet Hanson, a reporter for an online newspaper in northern Idaho, that I was an “ordained presidential candidate (in so many words).” That is, I was trying to keep the gospel message in mind when establishing our platform. I told Ms. Hansen we were strong on social justice, for intance, but I was concerned many spiritual leaders in this country aren’t. She asked how so? I said many pastors, priests, and so on… sleep in $300 beds; while a majority of those in the Third World sleep on straw matts and don’t have medicine for their children.
I interviewed Tim Aldrich, who is retired after working for 37 years in the U.S. Forest Service Administration. He said the 1960s were a pivotal time for the environment, because prior to then there was almost unchecked logging, mining, and so on. But with the Winderness Act, the National Forest Management Act and the National Environmental Policies Act… things started to change. Aldrich added that his own desire to help the environment came from his father, who was a staunch environmentalist long before it was cool to be an environmentalist.
We stopped in Kalispell, Montana where we interviewed Tierney Chabot and her mom Therese. Therese got Tierney, now 22, involved with Regnum Christi — an arm of the Catholic Church that takes faith very seriously. Tierney has been involved with young girl “Challenge Clubs.” These are peer support groups where girls and young women meet regularly to discuss things like “virtues” and how they are trying to live those out in the world. One popular Regnum Christi event for young women is a: Modesty Fashion Show. In a “tidal wave” of sin behavior in our current culture, Tierney said Regnum Christi girls: “rock to a different beat…” After the interview, I was interviewed by Kalispell’s Channel 18 News. I said to the reporter that part of our “common sense” platform involves environmental issues. That is, farmers are currently pumping all kinds of chemicals (herbacides, pesticides, fertilizers…) into the plants and soil — and then we are ingesting the chemicals, and getting cancer. “Common sense,” I said, “is that we: stop using things that cause cancer.” Read: organic farming. The reporter nodded.
We stopped at a Hudderite Community in Valerie, Montana where there are some 111 people living in community because of their Christian beliefs. While they don’t do television and shun many “wordly notions,” they have adopted modern farming technology in a big way. The have established, for instance, big chicken confinement and pig confinement facilities. (They ship 200 to 250 pigs a week all over the midwest.) Arnie Kleinfasser said the Hudderites have felt compelled to use these technologies to keep pace with the industry. I couldn’t help but think, however, that many of the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite have given in to the same pressure.
Liz took our kids to the Lewis & Clark Interpretative Center in Great Falls, Montana. This expedition charted a course that would eventually strip almost all the land from the Native Americans out west. We’ve built shrines (read: museums and interpretive centers) to the feat. However, maybe it’s time for a different: “interpretation…” We stopped in Conrad, Montana where we were interviewed by the local ABC News affiliate. I said we stood for: “common sense…” We then entered Glacier National Park where we took the kids wading in a river near Essex, Montana and then I pulled into a service station for gas and a box of firewood, 4 bucks. I said to the gas station guy that I bet this was, oh, a little bit removed from how Lewis & Clark got their firewood. He smiled.
Was interviewed by Jim Dullenty of the Lewistown (MT) News-Argus. I told him I would have signed the Kyoto Protocol to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and what’s more, as president I would push for more wind turbine intitiatives in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota. I also said as president, I would be regularly protesting, and praying, in front of abortion clinics… We then headed toward Great Falls, Montana, where Jonathan Martin (a member of the Constitution Party) told me he and his family regularly protest in front of abortion clinics — holding graphic pictures of what the unborn baby looks like after an abortion. He said people tell him he shouldn’t be holding up “those types of pictures in public…” “Then what pictures should I be holding up?” he scoffed.
Headed into Jordan, Montana where I interviewed the prosecuting attorney in the famous Freeman Case (which happened 20 miles from here). Nick Murnion received a John F. Kennedy “Courage Award” for his work on the case. Murnion told me he received numerous death threats while the case was going on. (The Freeman ordeal was the longest “stand-off” — 81 days — in U.S. history, out-distancing: Waco, Ruby Ridge, etc.) “I used my faith to get through it,” the prosecutor added… While in Jordan, I also interviewed cattle rancher Bob Gibbs. (He is the third generation on the ranch, dating back to 1906.) He told me current figures show in this part of the country, on average, it takes: 40 acres a year of pasture land to feed one cow.
We’ve traveled into the “Missouri Breaks” region of Montana, one of the most sparsely populated areas of the country. We pulled into Circle (pop. 660) at sunset where I put up a campaign flyer in the town gas station/general store. A group of regulars were standing around, all in dusty cowboy boots. I was wearing sandals. “Ya still got your slippers on,” one of them laughingly pointed out… Then in Brockway, Montana, (pop. 20) we met Don Tescher who was here for the annual Brockway Rodeo. Tescher was once ranked 17th in the world at bronco riding. He told me he broke a leg in Houston, Texas, broke an arm in Glendive, Montana… he’s riden 1,300 broncs over 35 years. Note: We were told Brockway had a “free range cow.” That is, a cow here regularly wanders about the town grazing on everybodys’ lawns. Another Note: If you are reading these journal entries and plan to vote for us in 2008, would you please consider putting up a homemade yard sign, get some “average Joe” Schriner for President buttons printed up, and so on — now. It’s never too early, and your action(s) could start a chain reaction. Wouldn’t that be fun.
We’ve driven west on I-94 to Richardton, North Dakota where I interviewed the Prioress of the Sacred Heart Monestary and Retreat Center, Sr. Ruth Fox. The nuns here installed the first commercial wind turbines in North Dakota back in 1994. Sr. Ruth told me, according to studies, North Dakota has the highest wind potential of any state in the U.S. I then told the Ranger Review newspaper in Glendive, Montana that our administration would push for many more wind turbine initiatives in North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and so on. It only makes sense, sound environmental common sense… In Glendive, I also met with Glendive Public Library Director Gail Nagle, who told me several years ago the town started a “Healthy Community Project.” For instance, Ms. Nagle said one of the arms of the project is to provide Parenting Classes to the community. And to help, the library has donated space for these classes and a coordinator’s office. (You can’t heal the country, until you heal the family, we often say.)
We did a whistle-stop event in Bismark. During the event, I talked to Burce and Paula Kuhnley who own the Country House Deli here. Bruce said one of his concerns is the big box stores going in around him can pay more to employees. And he’s worried this will drain a pool of his already trained employees. Paula told us one of the policies at Country House Deli is: “no gossip.” She explained gossip can really hurt morale, camaraderie, and so on. (At the Broken Spoke Restaurant back in Valley City, North Dakota, a sign said: “I don’t repeat gossip. So listen carefully…”)… The evening of the event, I met with Mark Dagley, who has installed four Whisper 900 wind turbines on the top of his barn in rural Mandan. He said the turbines, on average, provide half the power needed on the farm.