READ ABOUT STEVE DIDIER, SR. IN HIS OFFICIAL BROCHURE
THEN VOTE FOR THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE OF IDAHO COUNTY
(*pdf format)

MAKE YOUR VOICE COUNTY ON MAY 15th

Steve Didier, Sr. has solid experience in all facets of Idaho County,  shows good character when understanding his future role as an Idaho County Commissioner, and is the candidate of choice to represent the people of Idaho County.

An overwhelming number of Idaho County Taxpaying Citizens are speaking out in support of this candidate who shows allegiance to the people, instead of the power and glory of “what I (Brandt) thinks is best” for the people.   Take a moment to review a couple of recent editorials submitted to speak in support of Steve Didier, Sr as Idaho County Commissioner:

Idaho County needs to move past Skip Brandt’s “Done Deal” politics. We have heard the “done deal” statement too many times in the last year.    Mr. Brandt was ready to build a landfill and trade public land (StopTheSwap.net) with little or no comment from the people of Idaho County.  Steve Didier, Sr.  has the qualities Idaho County needs as a “respected” commissioner.    He understands we need to manage public lands and increase timber sales.

Steve Didier Sr. believes in “Of The People, By The People and For The People.”

As commissioner of Idaho County, Mr. Didier will do what is best for “everyone” concerned related to current and future issues.

Ray Anderson
Republican
Grangeville

Commissioner Skip Brandt told me that it is  not his job to judge character.   This was current Idaho County Commissioner’s reply to me in a phone conversation near the last few days of December 2011 when I called to discuss the Lochsa Land Exchange.   “Judging character is for the judicial system.  It’s  not my job”  he reinforced, in reference to my concerns about Timothy Blixseth of Western Pacific Timber  (echoed by SO MANY Idaho citizens who are also befuddled that Idaho County and the State of Idaho are working so hard to conduct business with a land pirate of such bad character and soiled reputation across the west).   Hmmmmm.   I do not concur.

My perspective concerning CHARACTER is totally the opposite.   Character influences every choice I make, whether business or personal, and definitely matters  in the selection of Idaho County Commissioner, to be sure.   Character is what establishes the foundation of service providers I do business with, friends with whom I’m cavort, and is the foundation of ones own principles that drive integrity, honesty, work ethics and family values.  CHARACTER my dear Mr. Brandt, is not for lawyers and the judicial system to confirm.  Justice is the job of the Judicial System.   CHARACTER is a human value and has monumental importance to ordinary taxpaying citizens.  Its the glue that seals our respect and admiration for a candidate who is working “for the people”.

As a registered Republican, I assess the policies, experience and background of the candidates I vote for, and without a doubt, the CHARACTER of a candidate is the icing on the cake.   I personally lean more toward conservative fiscal policies, which is the only reason I’m registered Republican.  But there is never a case where a Republican candidate is a slam dunk when I vote.    So an Independent running as Republican is just fine with me.   CHARACTER MATTERS.

Mary Mangold
Grangeville

If you have a comment about the current candidates for Idaho County Commissioner, please feel free to send an email to action@stoptheswap.net to be posted on this site, or submit your comment below.

DOWNLOAD STEVE DIDIER, SR. BROCHURE
VOTE ON MAY 15th for Idaho County Commissioner

This article written and published by Mary Mangold

Our dedicated Volunteers registered 364 new members!  Stop The Swap is now 1104 strong and growing!  Our voice will echo louder and louder as we gain more support.  Strength is in numbers!

ALERT:  help us to expand our list of email recipients.  If you know of someone who would like to be added to this list, please ask them to send an email to stoptheswap@gmail.com  Also, on the home page, near the top, stay in touch with details of our activities and the raffle below – Subscribe to our blog to get instant notification whenever we post new info here at StopTheSwap.net.

NEXT:   Stop The Swap will be at the Spokane Gun Show April 6th, 7th & 8th.

****************************************************************************************************

A $800 Value! - WIN YOUR CHANCE ON OUR RIFLE RAFFLE

GET READY TO WIN YOUR CHANCE ON OUR RIFLE RAFFLE AND SUPPORT STOP THE SWAP 

WIN A WEATHERBY VANGUARD SERIES 2 SYNTHETIC RIFLE COMBO

We are selling raffle tickets.  

This rifle was donated to STOP the SWAP by SNAKE RIVER ARMS in Lapwai, Idaho!  It is a 300 Win Mag caliber.

Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10.

Drawing will occur July 4th and you will have it in time to verify the 1 m.o.a. that Weatherby guarantees before the big game season opens this Fall!

Contact me, Ray Payton (stoptheswap@gmail.com),  for ticket details and location of sales.  We will also post lots of info and on-going details on this website, between now and July 4th to let you know LOCATIONS and EVENTS where you can purchase Raffle Tickets.

YOU MAY BE THE lucky winner of this awesome rifle.  If you’d like to mail payment for raffle tickets – please indicate the funds are for the RIFLE RAFFLE and send to Ray Payton P.O. Box 309, Riggins, Id. 83549 – Please include return address so I can send you the stubs. 3 tickets for $10.  Or $5 each.

This is a fundraising effort to cover mounting expenses, fuel, postage, event fees, paper, copies, and other costs that are a part of any organized effort such as Stop The Swap.

Mary Mangold of Wild Web West  is donating the web hosting, domain name and alot of her spare time to update the website.  Please – if  you are opposed to the Lochsa Land Exchange, help support our efforts by participating in the Rifle Raffle or contribute donations to our organization.   Donations can be submitted to Grangeville or Riggins Pine Tree Community Credit Unions as well!


– http://www.weatherby.com/product/rifles/vanguard_2/package

Also, if you get a chance, stop by Snake River Arms and thank Bill and Marilou Aubertin for this generous donation! Snake River Arms is located at 105 Ash Av., Lapwai, Idaho.  http://snakeriverarms.com/

Ray Payton
STOP the SWAP
Visit our website :: Stay Informed!  http://stoptheswap.net
Email: stoptheswap@gmail.com

ALERT:  help us to expand our list of email recipients.  If you know of someone who would like to be added to this list, please ask them to send an email to stoptheswap@gmail.com

Idahoans have the great outdoors right out their back doors. Why on earth would we want to give that up?

One of the prime reasons for living in Idaho and other Western states is being on the edge of vast chunks of federal public lands.

There are places to go to get completely away from it all — away from crowds and the sounds of civilization.

My wife and I were camping at Pittsburgh Landing in Hells Canyon last weekend, and the only sounds we could hear were those of the huge flowing waters of the Snake River, owls and other birds and canyon winds. The vastness of the Grand Canyon of the Snake River was overwhelming.  Read the rest of the article in the link below…..

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/03/10/2030599/dear-politicians-dont-even-think.html

Due to copyright protection and laws, this article cannot be reprinted without permission. But take time to read it.

Pete Zimowsky captured the spirit of a majority of Idahoans, no matter what kind of propaganda is being spewed by politicians.

Click this for a full size image.

This is the landscape that exists in the Upper Lochsa.  Western Pacific Timber is lobbying hard to swap this for incredible public wealth in timbered locations across the North and North Central Idaho region.

If you’d like these land grabbers to swap your public land where you enjoy the scenic timbered landscapes and recreating with family and friends, then perhaps you should spend some time outdoors.   Those of us who live in Idaho because of the wonderful outdoor opportunities are fighting hard to preserve our public land wealth in timber and freedom to enjoy trails and activities that provide peace and harmony in our hearts.

The link below is an indexed map of all the proposed locations in Idaho that Forest Supervisor Rick Brazell will choose from for swapping the above travesty of a piece of bald land for our timbered beauty.   The Forest Service wants to preserve the watershed and threatened species, but what about the threatened species of fish, plants and flora, elk and whitetail deer habits and birds that will no longer be under federal protection when the public lands become privatized.  Click the link to the big index map below to see the lands up gor grab and help us fight as citizens of Idaho!

Index of Detailed Maps on Exchanges in Idaho

We’re merging efforts between Stop The Swap and Save Idaho County Forests.   More details soon.

From time to time it appears I need to clarify the position of SAVE IDAHO COUNTY FORESTS.

We are supportive of the NOT ONE ACRE position. Our name was not meant to imply we only care about the Forests in Idaho County.  We are against a swap that loses any Public acres anywhere in the State of Idaho.

We are working closely with other groups that share that goal. FRIENDS OF THE PALOUSE RANGER DISTRICT, STOP THE SWAP and THE RETIRED FOREST SERVICE EMPLOYEES are some of the groups we support. Coordination between these groups is one of our objectives.

I have been contacted by the Idaho County Commissioners to meet with them and sit down and work on solutions.

“I will be glad to sit down any time, any where and work on solutions to your concerns that include retaining Public Ownership.”  This is quite different than just saying NO.   It follows what we have been Preaching which is “We can harvest timber, create jobs and stimulate the economy without giving away the Public Land.”

If we can provide solutions to all their concerns why would they still want to swap our land?

SAVE IDAHO COUNTY FORESTS’ position is NOT ONE ACRE.
Thank you,
Ray Payton

We’re scheduled at area Gun Shows.  Please join us over the next 2 months at area gun shows where we’ll be bringing awareness to the issues of the Lochsa Land Exchange, and other planned public land swaps, specifically in North and North Central Idaho.

If you are getting out and about and would like to stop at our Gun Show booths to:

• Ask Questions
• Show Support
• Offer Donations
• Understand the Issues

If you’d like to volunteer your time at the booths, the efforts to save our public lands require immense human involvement and contribution.   We welcome your support.   Send an email to stoptheswap@gmail.com to inquire and please include your phone number so we can call you back if time is slim.

Here are dates and locations:

1. March -10&11 at Latah County Fair Bldg. in Moscow Sat 9am – 6pm & Sun 9am – 4pm
2. March -17&18 at Nez Perce Fair Grounds Expo Center in Lewiston Sat 9am – 6pm & Sun 9am – 4pm
3. April -6,7&8 at Spokane County Fair & Expo in Spokane Fri 1pm – 6pm Sat 9am – 6pm & Sun 9am-4pm
4. April -14&15 at Boise Expo Center at State Fair Grounds in Boise Sat 9am-6pm & Sun 9am-4pm

All Idaho citizens who are concerned about what happens to your Idaho Public Lands should attend.

Since the FOREST SERVICE SDEIS COMMENT PERIOD HAS EXPIRED and ended Februrary 16th, one can only surmise that our “political leaders” are trying another way to lobby and manipulate public opinion. Idaho Recreation Council is the puppet with strings.

The controversy surrounding the Lochsa Land Exchange is apparent.   The Idaho Recreation Council would not be able to make a difference to Forest Supervisor Rick BRazells decision, unless the real motive is to modify public opinion to make it appear the SWAP has suddenly received widespread approve among citizens for  Alternative F.

I suspect if the political maneuvers were able to gain approval for Alternative F, then this represents a manipulative way to give Congress the green light for legislation that will approve an ACRE FOR ACRE exchange.   Friends,  if the powers to be get support for slipping a bill through congress for approval of an Acre for Acre Congressional Approval then the RECORD OF DECISION is out of Rick Brazells hands and Tim Blixseth / Western Pacific Timber will be our new neighbors, raping and pillaging the most valuable timber and getting ready for their true mission – real estate development.

Don’t let this happen.   If you care, you will try your best to attend this recreation council meeting to let the council know the people are not ignorant, and we are not so fickle as to change our minds about the Lochsa Land Exchange.

If you didn’t get a postcard, it states this:

ATTENTION RECREATIONISTS:

Come join representatives from the Idaho Recreation Council for an informal conversation about the Lochsa Land Exchange – Alternative F.  This Idaho County Alternative proposes to exchange 38,827 acres in the upper Lochsa drainage area for equal acreage of Forest Service Lands located in Idaho County.

Monday March 12 2012

The conversation will start at 6pm

Super 8 Motel Meeting Room

801 SW 1st Street, Grangeville

We need input!  This is about protecting access and doing what is best for Idaho County

FOR OPPOSITION INFORMATION:

No doubt this is propaganda put forward by the Idaho County Commissioners to manipulate the public appeal for this exchange, ignoring the widespread opposition to the swap.

Please attend if you care about the public lands that are being put up on the block for this swap.  Our most precious and best timber was proposed to be swapped to Timothy Blixseth and Western Pacific Timber – not a timber company at all, but rather a  real estate development company.  I just heard too, and proof will be available soon, that while Timothy Blixseth settled his back taxes with the Idaho Tax Commission in April 2011, he still hasn’t paid the settlement amount of $800K plus.   By now, additional taxes have mounted.  If we check Montana, Oregon and California, I wonder how many of those states have receive little more than litigation and settlements – Timothy Blixseth style.

VISIT http://www.stoptheswap.net for details, maps, etc on the Idaho County lands proposed to be swapped to Western Pacific Timber – and for information about Timothy Blixseth who has a track record of deception and litigation throughout the world.

Tim Blixseth told me he was going to become a part of Idaho.

He and his wife Edra moved into a penthouse next door to J.R. Simplot atop the Grove Hotel. He promised thousands to help then Gov. Dirk Kempthorne remodel Simplot’s hilltop estate into the governor’s mansion.

In 2006 Blixseth, the former Oregon pauper who had risen to timber mogul, was on top of the world. He had just bought 178,000 acres of forestlands that only a couple of years earlier had been Boise Cascades.

He had a almost unlimited $375 million loan from Credit Suisse and he was talking about doing more land deals in Idaho. He wanted to trade the forests that line Highway 55 along the North Fork of the Payette River.

He still had nearly 40,000 acres in North Idaho that included part of the Lewis and Clark Trail. He was going to be a conservationist and he thought he could do that and still make lots of money.

Even though he had been forced to pay Montana for water quality violations, Blixseth said he cared about the land. When he owned Crown Pacific in North Idaho in the 1990s, Blixseth had promoted good forest practices so it wasn’t hard to believe him even as he built his crowning glory, the Yellowstone Club ski resort in the middle of grizzly bear habitat.

“I love bears,” Blixseth told me during our 2006 interview. “I love wolves too.”

He was going to eventually develop his lands around McCall. He was watching neighboring Tamarack closely because he had land adjacent to the ski resort. Its efforts to trade land with the Forest Service and the state also competed with his own plans since there was only enough staff and time in the agency to handle one big trade at a time.

But Blixseth had bigger fish to fry. He was expanding his Yellowstone Club concept of a retreat for the super rich into a series of resorts, Yellowstone Club World. He was trying to become a record executive.

He was going on Today to promote Habitat for America and the song he wrote. He was now on Forbes list of the richest people of the world.

It all came crashing down as the economy dove and all of his excesses came back to haunt him. He and his wife Edra divorced and separately they are sinking in a financial quagmire, outlined in a story in the New York Times

Potlatch now has the Boise Cascade lands and Blixseth is still trying to finish the land deal up north. Idaho is only a small part of Blixseth’s current troubles.

And he is an even smaller part of Idaho life.

Dear Elayne and Laura,

Thanks to Harvey Neese I found out that today’s (2/3/12) LMT contains an article titled “Reforestation project gets high funding for second year”

The last sentence of the article says:

“Crapo’s spokesman Lindsay Nothern said Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell may visit Idaho later this month to talk about collaboration.”

Chief Tidwell must know that the Lochsa land exchange is the most important issue in Idaho … even if affects mostly north Idaho.  Members of the public that number in the thousands want to hear Chief Tidwell address the Lochsa land exchange.

We are desperate to hear what high-level USFS employees have to say about the pending exchange.  RF Weldon refused to address the subject after many, many requests to do so.  Deputy Regional Forester Tom Schmidt refuses to even acknowledge that the conflict even exists.

As far as NEPA goes Chief Tidwell should not publically address the land exchange alternatives in the DEIS or the alternative that he favors, but nothing in NEPA prohibits him from addressing the exchange Lochsa land exchange issue in general and allowing questions.  Here are my questions:

1) Will you contact Chief Tidwell’s executive assistant and ask if the Chief would host a public meeting at Grangeville and/or Moscow the address the land exchange meeting?

2) On the day you receive your “YES” answer from the Chief’s office would you send out a news release indicating where and when the land exchange meetings will be held.

3) If you receive a “NO” answer would you email our group indicating why the Chief cannot address the public on the most pressing issue in the USFS at the present time?

4) If Chief Tidwell cancels his trip to Idaho because he doesn’t want to address the proposed exchange would you let us know that too?

When you reply to the questions above please use “reply all” because the people that are receiving CCs of this request are interested.

I look forward to your reply quite soon.

Finally, if Chief Tidwell comes to Idaho and chooses not to speak at public meetings specifically set up with the land exchange as the subject, the land exchange opponents will have proof that USFS leaders are consciously avoiding the issue.

Sincerely.

Dick Artley

Da99333@gmail.com