Idaho attacks!

No it isn't a bomb sent by Israel, and it isn't Hezbullah. It's Idaho! Every year just when it starts to cool down and eveyone could use a breath of fresh air, the state of Idaho allows field burning. More exactly it is grass field burning. I could kind of see doing it in a rural area where there aren't hundreds of thousands of people but doing it inbetween Coeur d Alene and Spokane just seems wrong to me. I think I'd rather have urban sprawl. For people like me who have lung issues anyway it is really difficult to deal with. And people who don't have any conditions can't ever understand. "Oh just deal with it." Well it isn't that easy. And my problems aren't that serious. But every year this really does compromise me. I look forward to leaving town each weekend and hate returning to this smoke in the air.

How bad is it? Well I've experienced a lot of inversions growing up in Missoula. And I've experienced a lot of forest fire smoke. But nothing compairs to this in my experience. It literally hurts my lungs to breath this.

(and yes, I did enhance the photo above in photoshop. It turns out that it is hard to get a good photo of this sort of thing. I had to make it darker to make it look like it does IRL. I didn't alter the size of it however. If you were here it would blow you away how bad this is and that it is allowed. The smoke is 4 miles away! My house is just a little to the left of that plume of smoke. And it is in Washington.) Was I here first? no. Is urban sprawl a good thing? No, but nothing is going to stop that and it isn't like farmers haven't sold out to it. So don't pull that one on us, it is already too late. The open spaces argument is just BS in this case. Grow something else! This ins't the place for this sort of burning!

And yet WE here in Spokane County have to have our cars tested for emissions. Not the case for those in north Idaho and yet thousands of them drive in to work here every day. WE have to have burning bans in the winter when they tell us that the air quality is bad. (I never even notice it and you/ I would think that I would.) Not the case for those in north Idaho, no buring bans for them. Shouldn't there be just one standard for everyone when it comes to air quality?

Here is a link to SAVE OUR SUMMERS I haven't looked around on it so you be the judge. I don't feel obligated to give the grass growers side of the story. They are getting their way. It was just on the local news. The farmer threatened us with more housing and less open spaces. Like I said, I think I can deal with that, if that is my choice. Can't they grow a different crop? Perhaps if Idaho motorists will turn off their cars and trucks while at stop signs.... That is the best thing Idaho leaders can come up with.

The sign reads "Welcome To Idaho."