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Guest Columnist Brian Almon: The Annotated Idaho GOP Platform

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(Image Credit: Gem State Chronicle)

May 25, 2026 (Cover Image Credit: Gem State Chronicle)

The Annotated Idaho GOP Platform

By: Brian Almon

Gem State Chronicle Publisher Brian Almon

For nearly as long as the United States has existed as a nation, political parties have presented their positions through a platform.

The original Republican platform was short and simple. It reaffirmed the truth and supremacy of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and called for Congress to halt the spread of slavery (and polygamy) into new territories. It also demanded the immediate admittance of Kansas as a free state as well as improvements in railroads and other national infrastructure.

The very first platform of the Idaho Republican Party was drafted in 1864, shortly after Congress created the Idaho Territory. It too was short and sweet, declaring support for President Abraham Lincoln’s reelection and his prosecution of the Civil War. It also called on Congress to refrain from taxing mining claims, the primary industry of Idaho at the time.

Since the 19th century, platforms have grown larger and more complex as parties seek to provide answers to every political question. The Idaho GOP adopts a platform every two years at its state convention, incorporating additions and changes brought by delegates and deliberated and voted upon by the body as a whole. The current platform, adopted in Coeur d’Alene in June 2025, is twenty pages long and covers issues ranging from taxes and spending to private property and foreign policy.

I served as secretary for the Platform Committee at the 2024 State Convention and shared my thoughts on the planks debated that day. Having watched the debate over those new planks, I concluded that:

The platform can be a high level statement of philosophy, or it can be a strict metric, but it cannot be both at the same time, and that’s something we as Republicans need to figure out soon.

Many conservative activists see the Idaho GOP Platform as the absolute standard to which candidates and precinct committeemen should be held. Nevertheless, the final decision on who becomes the nominee of the Republican Party is made not by the document, but by the voters, most of whom aren’t concerned with platforms or purity tests. As I wrote last week, voters choose candidates for a variety of reasons, some of which do not seem rational to those of us immersed in the world of politics.

The rules of the Idaho Republican Party require the state chair to request that each federal, statewide, and legislative candidate read through the current platform and either affirm support for it or note any disagreements. In my role with the Idaho GOP, I was tasked with placing those responses on the website for voters to examine, which meant I had the opportunity to read through every single one. It’s a shame that some candidates, especially those I would characterize as eastern Idaho moderates, declined to participate, because I think this is a valuable way to engage in discourse regarding the positions in the platform. I have a great deal of respect for those who took the time to note their disagreements and explain why.

With the primary election over, the Idaho Republican Party now has a slate of voter-supported candidates heading into the general election. New PCs are also preparing to elect delegates to next month’s state convention in Meridian, where additions, modifications, or deletions to the platform will be debated. Out of that convention will come a new platform, perhaps with only small changes, or perhaps something very different entirely. Delegates will begin submitting proposals following this weekend’s reorganization meetings, at which point we’ll have the opportunity to discuss them.

Today, however, I want to present the culmination of some work I’ve been doing over the past few weeks. I copied the current platform into a Google Doc, cleaned up the formatting to make it easier to read and navigate, and annotated it with disagreements from the candidates who won their primary elections last week. After all, these are the men and women chosen by voters to carry the Republican banner into November, so I think it’s worthwhile to consider their thoughts.

I also exported a PDF copy of the annotated platform:

Annotated Idaho GOP PlatformDownload

If a candidate submitted a note or disagreement, I attempted to copy it verbatim. In some cases, candidates simply noted disagreements without explanation. For those instances, I added their name under the respective section.

I noticed a few interesting things while working on this project. By far, the three most controversial planks are the platform’s demand to repeal the 17th Amendment, which requires the direct election of U.S. senators; the platform’s call for a return to the gold standard; and the platform’s strict position on abolishing abortion.

Seventeen candidates, including Sen. Jim Risch, Gov. Brad Little, and Congressman Mike Simpson, noted their opposition to repealing the 17th Amendment. While I understand the populist argument for the direct election of senators, I believe the amendment was a mistake that severely diminished the power of the states to influence the federal government. Earlier this year, proponents of an Article V Convention argued that such a convention was necessary to bring the states back into the discussion, but that ship sailed in 1913.

Nevertheless, I don’t see repeal of the 17th Amendment happening anytime soon. Is this something that should remain in the Idaho GOP Platform if it could sow needless division? Are the seventeen candidates who disagree with this plank somehow not true Republicans?

Thirteen candidates disagreed with the idea of returning to the gold standard. Rep. Barbara Ehardt did not disagree with the plank, but noted that she has been a proponent of greater investment in gold and silver. Again, is this a realistic position that necessitates a plank in the platform? These two items arose from the libertarian infusion into the GOP following Ron Paul’s presidential campaigns. While I believe that movement was a necessary course correction for a Republican Party that had grown too corporatist, too globalist, and too statist, we should still ask whether these ideas are worth including in the platform, especially if we are going to use the platform as a litmus test for true Republicanism.

Finally, twelve Republican candidates noted their disagreements with the platform’s position on abortion. I remember the fierce debate at the 2022 state convention in Twin Falls when this version of the plank was introduced. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to once again ban abortion, had been issued mere weeks before the convention opened, meaning this was no longer an academic issue. Idaho’s abortion bans were now in effect, and the differences between complete abolition and maintaining exceptions suddenly mattered.

Most of the candidates who noted disagreements in this section affirmed their support for current Idaho law, which includes exceptions for terminating a pregnancy in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of the mother. Some, including incumbent representatives Grayson Stone and Doug Pickett, along with candidate Chance Requa, included the “health of the mother” as an exception they would like to see as well. Sen. Todd Lakey noted that he would support repealing the current ballot initiative should it pass this November, and I’ve spoken to other candidates who have said the same thing.

The issue of preborn life is obviously extremely important from a moral perspective. I personally support the current platform and believe it serves the purpose of laying out the ideal policy regarding abortion. If terminating a pregnancy means destroying an innocent human life, then how can we justify exceptions? Regarding the life-of-the-mother exception, I recall when once-and-future senator Scott Herndon debated the plank in Twin Falls, he pointed out that if the mother’s life is in danger, then actions taken to save her are not elective abortion, but triage, which always carries inherent risk as doctors attempt to save as many lives as possible.

Of course, this discussion exists around the margins of the issue. Nearly all abortions carried out in America are elective, performed as a form of birth control by irresponsible people. Idaho’s current law gets us 99% of the way there, and we should continue working to persuade voters that abortion pills and other such loopholes are wrong.

I believe that maintaining the plank regarding abortion is more important than maintaining the planks regarding the 17th Amendment and the gold standard. Why? Because in the wake of Dobbs, Idaho must have a policy regarding abortion. We cannot simply ignore the issue, so I believe it is appropriate for the Idaho GOP to hold a strong position on it. The 17th Amendment and the gold standard, by contrast, are not issues we can directly tackle as a state, and there is virtually no national political will to change those policies. As a result, those planks are largely academic.

Take some time to read through the annotated platform. You might be surprised by where certain candidates stand. It’s also interesting to note the areas where there was no disagreement at all. Nobody disagreed with the platform’s stance against social justice indoctrination in public schools, its call for lower taxes, its support for agriculture and the family farm, the need for increased water storage, or the protection of natural resources for multiple uses.

Of course, several candidates declined to participate in this conversation, so who knows what they really believe. Nevertheless, I believe this document lays the groundwork for productive discussions about what kinds of policies we’d like to see enacted over the next few years. I hope it proves valuable as you meet your candidates over the summer, serve as delegates to the Idaho GOP state convention, and look ahead to the 2027 legislative session. Let’s figure out where we agree, where we disagree, and how we can move forward together.

About Brian Almon

Brian Almon is the Editor of the Gem State Chronicle. He also serves as Chairman of the District 14 Republican Party and is a trustee of the Eagle Public Library Board. He lives with his wife and five children in Eagle.

Editor’s note:  This article originally appeared in the Gem State Chronicle.  I encourage our readers to visit their website and consider subscribing.  Find this and other informative articles at the Gem State Chronicle here: About – Gem State Chronicle

Powering America’s Future: President Trump’s Policies Fueling Demand for Skilled American Workers

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Observer Staff
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(White House Press Release, May 27, 2026)

As President Donald J. Trump’s America First agenda fuels a blue-collar resurgence, American workers are back in demand — and a new generation is answering the call.

The Shift Is Already Underway

A seismic shift from years past towards the trades is a clear sign that President Trump’s relentless push to restore the dignity of American labor is taking hold.

  • 60% of Gen Z Americans plan to pursue skilled trade work this year, up from less than 40% just one year ago.
  • Half of Gen Z college graduates are also pivoting to trades, signaling the end of the failed “college-for-all” experiment.
  • Median pay in skilled trades now matches or exceeds many four-year degrees, with trade workers enjoying greater employment stability than their white-collar peers for the first time in history.
  • Meanwhile, 94% of U.S. contractors report labor shortages, driving wages higher.

The Trump Administration Is Driving the Boom

President Trump’s policies have overhauled workforce training and created clear pathways to high-paying careers without crushing debt.

  • President Trump set a national goal of over one million new registered apprentices and reformed broken federal programs.
  • The Working Families Tax Cuts Act expanded 529 savings plans to trade certifications, broadened Pell Grants for skilled trades, delivered 100% bonus depreciation for equipment, and eliminated taxes on overtime — putting thousands of dollars back in workers’ pockets.
  • The Department of Education launched the first-ever Workforce Pell Grant program to fast-track Americans into high-demand, high-paying careers.
  • The Department of Labor has awarded over $229 million in grants to expand apprenticeships in critical sectors like shipbuilding, defense, and nuclear energy, and launched a landmark initiative to integrate AI skills into registered apprenticeships to prepare the workforce for the jobs of the future.
  • New guidance bars illegal aliens from taxpayer-funded workforce programs, ensuring benefits go to American workers.
  • These reforms build on President Trump’s first-term launch of apprenticeship.gov, a government site that connects job seekers, employers, and trainers nationwide.

A Workforce Ready to Rebuild America

With factories and supply chains returning under Trump’s tariff and reshoring policies, demand for skilled labor is surging.

  • Hundreds of thousands of annual openings projected for construction workers and electricians alone — with recent jobs data reinforcing the demand.
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts 9% growth for electricians and more than double the national average for HVAC technicians over the next decade.
  • As President Trump’s trade policies drive factories and critical supply chains back to America, the demand for skilled trades workers is set to surge.
  • Since President Trump took office, private industry has responded with initiatives from the nation’s most recognizable brands — including Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Home Depot, Lowe’s, BlackRock, and Carrier Global — to fund new apprenticeship, training, and education programs.

America is rebuilding — by Americans, for Americans. Under President Trump’s leadership, a debt-free, opportunity-rich generation of skilled workers is rising to power a new Golden Age of American manufacturing and prosperity.

Deadline for the First Super Hunt Drawing Is May 31

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Observer Staff
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(Idaho Fish and Game, May 27, 2026)

Super Hunt winners get the best of the best by being able to hunt any open hunt in Idaho for the species they draw. This includes general or controlled hunts, until you tag an animal. Drawings will be held for deer, elk, pronghorn, and moose. A license is not required to enter a Super Hunt drawing for both residents and nonresidents, and there is no limit to the number of entries. Super Hunt entries are only $6 for individual species or $20 for a combo of all four!

Super Hunt revenue is dedicated to providing hunting access, and has been a critical tool to secure more hunting opportunities for Idaho hunters. In past couple of years, we have been able to use this money to help obtain access to hundreds of thousands of acre of wildlife habitat for sportsmen and women, secure Access YES! properties, fund access easements, and maintain trails in remote hunting areas.

Any Super Hunt tag is considered an extra tag so you can still use your general or controlled hunt tags.

A total of 8 deer, 8 elk, 8 pronghorn, 1 moose, and 1 combo of all four tags that will be drawn. Winners will be notified mid-June.

For more information, click here.

AG Labrador Joins White House Fraud Task Force Roundtable with VP Vance

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Observer Staff
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(Attorney General’s Office Press Release, May 27, 2026)

BOISE, ID — Attorney General Raúl Labrador joined Vice President JD Vance, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and White House Fraud Task Force Executive Director Scott Brady at the White House for a fraud enforcement roundtable with attorneys general from across the country.

The meeting brought together state and federal leaders to coordinate Medicaid fraud enforcement and strengthen the partnership that has driven results since President Trump took office. Attorney General Labrador presented Idaho’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) results and outlined two requests for federal resources that would sharpen prosecutions in Idaho.

Idaho’s MFCU recovered $900,756 in Medicaid fraud in federal fiscal year 2025. Of that total, $361,577 came through civil cases pursued in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho using federal authority, the highest annual civil recovery total from this partnership in the past decade. Complaint referrals jumped from 136 in 2024 to 219 in 2025 and are on pace to climb even higher in 2026, a trend that tracks directly with the Trump Administration’s public focus on rooting out fraud.

Attorney General Labrador brought two specific requests to the table: expanded MFCU access to federal Medicaid claims data held by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and reform of a federal records law governing substance use disorder treatment that currently blocks investigators from obtaining evidence in fraud cases. Both requests were developed in coordination with the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units.

“The Trump Administration is serious about fraud enforcement, and Idaho’s results prove what’s possible when the federal government works with states instead of against them,” said Attorney General Labrador. “Working with the White House and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we recovered more Medicaid dollars outside of multistate settlements last year than any year in the past decade. With better data access and the right reforms, we can recover even more, and I’ll be going back to the Idaho Legislature to secure the additional authority and resources to help make that happen.”

Idaho’s MFCU employs ten staff, including attorneys, sworn law enforcement, auditors, and support personnel, and recorded five indictments in the most recent federal fiscal year.

The Idaho Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $1,105,525.00 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $368,508.33 for FY 2026, is funded by the State of Idaho.

Seatbelt Emphasis Highlights Importance of Buckling Up as Idaho Enters 100 Deadliest Days

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Observer Staff
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(Idaho State Police Press Release, May 26, 2026)

POCATELLO, Idaho — The Southeast Idaho Traffic Safety Task Force conducted coordinated regional patrols on May 18 throughout Eastern Idaho focused on seatbelt and child restraint use.

Troopers from the Idaho State Police Pocatello and Idaho Falls regions, along with officers from the Montpelier Police Department, participated in the enforcement effort. During the single-day emphasis, participating agencies made approximately 217 contacts with motorists, resulting in:

  • 21 seatbelt citations
  • 60 additional citations
  • 3 arrests
  • 140 warnings

The enforcement effort comes as Idaho enters the 100 Deadliest Days — the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when fatal crashes historically increase as summer travel ramps up and more drivers hit the road. Law enforcement agencies are reminding motorists that wearing a seatbelt remains one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce serious injuries and save lives in a crash.

Drivers are encouraged to slow down, allow extra time for travel, eliminate distractions, and always wear their seatbelt. Parents and guardians are responsible for ensuring children are properly secured in age-appropriate child restraint systems.

National Park Service Aligns Hunting Requirements with State Regulations, Removes Unnecessary Barriers

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Observer Staff
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(National Park Service Press Release, May 26, 2026)

WASHINGTON — The National Park Service today announced actions to remove unnecessary hunting-related closures and restrictions across units of the National Park System, improving clarity for visitors by removing duplicative state and federal requirements, and expanding access where appropriate in alignment with Secretary’s Order 3447.

These updates support the Department of the Interior’s broader effort to expand recreational access, remove unnecessary barriers and ensure greater consistency across Department-managed lands and waters.

The changes affect park-specific hunting requirements that were identified for removal because they duplicated state wildlife regulations, repeated existing federal requirements or imposed restrictions beyond what was necessary to comply with law or for public safety or resource protection.

By removing outdated or duplicative requirements, the National Park Service is making it easier for hunters to understand applicable rules while respecting the primary role of states in wildlife management.

“Americans should be able to access and enjoy their public lands without navigating unnecessary layers of bureaucracy,” said Jessica Bowron, comptroller, exercising the delegated authority of the director of the National Park Service. “These changes remove duplicative requirements and expand access where appropriate, while ensuring the National Park Service continues to meet its responsibility to protect the extraordinary natural and cultural resources entrusted to our care.”

In total, 36 parks removed or partially removed a closure or restriction that resulted in 114 total removals. Examples of changes include aligning certain hunting seasons and requirements with state regulations, removing unnecessary administrative requirements, and lifting closures and restrictions that exceeded what was necessary to achieve management objectives.

In some parks, these updates will immediately expand hunting opportunities. In others, they will simplify compliance by eliminating redundant federal provisions that restated existing state law or federal regulations.

These actions reflect the Department’s commitment to ensuring closures and restrictions are limited to those necessary for public safety, resource protection or legal compliance.

The National Park Service manages hunting in accordance with applicable federal law, including the Organic Act, park enabling legislation and other governing authorities. Hunting remains prohibited in National Park System units where it is not authorized by law, while being permitted in others where consistent with the purpose of the unit and applicable management requirements.

The National Park Service will continue reviewing park-specific requirements to identify opportunities to improve consistency, reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens and support responsible outdoor recreation where authorized.

The National Park System includes more than 430 units preserving America’s most significant natural, cultural and historic resources for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of current and future generations.

About the National Park Service.  Established in 1916, the National Park Service preserves America’s most treasured natural and cultural places for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of current and future generations. Learn more at nps.gov.

Trump Administration’s Full-Scale War on Fraud

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Observer Staff
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(White House Press Release, May 26, 2026)

President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance are unleashing an unrelenting, full-scale assault on the fraudsters, scammers, and corrupt operators who have looted billions from American taxpayers. The White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud is moving at unprecedented speed and ferocity to root out the waste, abuse, and criminal exploitation of government programs that have drained billions from hardworking taxpayers.

This is a direct offensive against every fraudulent scheme preying on hardworking Americans — and the results are already staggering.

Here are some of the Task Force’s key actions and victories to date:

  • February 25, 2026: The Trump Administration halted nearly $260 million in Medicaid payments to Minnesota over rampant fraud allegations, demanding full cooperation with federal investigators.
  • March 19, 2026: Federal prosecutors charged 11 individuals in a major real estate and loan fraud ring preying on elderly Americans in California.
  • March 25, 2026: The Trump Administration suspended dozens of high-risk hospice and home health providers in the Los Angeles area.
  • March 30, 2026: The Trump Administration launched a new national fraud whistleblower program to empower Americans to expose waste and abuse.
  • April 2, 2026: The Trump Administration suspended hundreds additional high-risk hospice and home health providers across California.
  • April 3, 2026: Federal prosecutors charged more than a dozen individuals in a $50 million hospice fraud scheme.
  • April 7, 2026: The Department of Justice secured a guilty plea from a California fraudster accused of submitting $270 million in false reimbursement claims.
  • April 8, 2026: The Department of Justice confirmed it has 8,000 active, ongoing fraud cases.
  • April 8, 2026: The Task Force uncovered $6.3 billion in suspected fraudulent government contracts and immediately launched a sweeping investigation.
  • April 15, 2026: The Trump Administration suspended 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies in Los Angeles, with estimated fraud exceeding $600 million.
  • April 16, 2026: The Trump Administration served criminal warrants and administrative charges on 20 Minnesota businesses suspected of SNAP fraud.
  • April 17, 2026: The Department of Justice announced its newly established National Fraud Enforcement Division took enforcement action in schemes totaling over $340 million in its first week alone.
  • April 24, 2026: The Small Business Administration referred 562,000 fraudulent or delinquent pandemic-era loans — totaling $22 billion — for aggressive collection.
  • April 28, 2026: The Department of Justice conducted targeted enforcement operations at nearly two dozen Minnesota childcare centers suspected of systemic fraud.
  • April 30, 2026: The Department of Justice launched a West Coast Strike Force team targeting healthcare fraud across Arizona, Nevada, and northern California.
  • April 30, 2026: The Trump Administration deferred an additional $91 million in federal Medicaid funds from non-cooperating Minnesota.
  • May 12, 2026: The Trump Administration identified over 10,000 suspected fraud cases in immigration student work programs.
  • May 13, 2026: The Trump Administration suspended $1.4 billion in home health and hospice funding nationwide.
  • May 13, 2026: The Trump Administration deferred $1.3 billion in federal Medicaid reimbursements for California.
  • May 13, 2026: The Trump Administration halted all new Medicare enrollments for hospice providers nationwide until the fraud crisis is brought under control.
  • May 13, 2026: The Trump Administration launched audits of Medicaid Fraud Control Units in all 50 states.
  • May 13, 2026: The Trump Administration blocked $60 million in fraudulent student loan applications in just the first month since deploying enhanced screening.
  • May 20, 2026: The Department of Justice charged a Minneapolis daycare owner featured in Nick Shirley’s viral video.
  • May 21, 2026: The Department of Justice expanded its Health Care Fraud Strike Force program, adding additional prosecutors to combat Medicaid fraud nationwide.
  • May 21, 2026: The Department of Justice charged 15 individuals in a wide-ranging Minnesota healthcare fraud scheme — including the highest loss amount ever charged in a Medicaid case in the state and the largest autism fraud scheme ever prosecuted.

This is only the beginning. The Trump Administration will continue this relentless effort until every scheme is exposed, every dollar possible is recovered, and the American people’s trust in their government is restored.

City of Pocatello Releases Updated Portneuf Valley Tree Guide

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Observer Staff
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(City of Pocatello Press Release, May 22, 2026)

The City of Pocatello is encouraging residents to explore the updated Portneuf Valley Tree Guide, a resource designed to help property owners select plants that thrive in the local climate.

Since 1999, the City has published Tree Guides to support landscaping decisions in the Portneuf Valley. With funding from the USDA Forest Service through the Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grant, the City has updated the 2012 edition to reflect current conditions and best practices.

The updated guide highlights trees and shrubs that perform well in the valley, while also identifying plants that may struggle due to disease, pests, or other challenges.

A limited number of printed copies are available at local nurseries and at City Hall, 911 North 7th Avenue. The guide is also available online, along with additional landscaping resources, at
pocatello.gov/442/Landscaping-Resources.

Want to see the featured trees around town? Our guide highlights locations where you can view specific tree species and get an idea of how they’ll look throughout the community.

Looking for a fun challenge? Some trees in the guide have blank “Where to See” locations. If you spot one of those trees in the community (must be located on or visible from public property) and submit it by July 31, you’ll be entered to win a swag bag with a gift card and City t-shirt inside! The more trees you submit, the more chances you have to win. Happy tree hunting!

To submit a photo visit: pocatello.seamlessdocs.com/f/POCphotograph

The Portneuf Valley Tree Guide aligns with the Mayor and City Council’s priorities of community beautification, walkable community, and environmental health & safety and contributes to the goals and strategies of Pocatello Comprehensive Plan 2040 including those identified in the Environmentally Resilient, Connected, Safe & Accessible, and Creative Community vision elements.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is the policy of the City of Pocatello to offer its public programs, services, and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities.  If you are disabled and require an accommodation, please contact Skyler Beebe with two (2) business days’ advance notice at sbeebe@pocatello.gov; 208.234.6248; or 5815 South 5th Avenue, Pocatello, Idaho.  Advance notification within this guideline will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility.

Guest Columnist Idaho Senator Christy Zito: The Men Too Young to Shave

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Observer Staff
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May 25, 2026

The Men Too Young to Shave

ID Senator Christy Zito (photo credit: Christy Zito)

By: Idaho Senator Christy Zito

There are moments in public service that become more than memories. They become markers in your soul, reminders of who we are, what built this country, and what we are called to protect.

One of the memories that I cherish most during my time of service came soon after my first primary election.

Tim Lowery had been to every event in Owyhee County. I had great respect for their family and the Joyce family and had followed their battle against the Federal Government over water rights. They won the battle, but are still fighting the war.

Tim put together a community meeting in his small town on the far side of the county. It was there that I learned a lifetime lesson.

His father, Bill, came into the room, walking with two canes, his body bent and twisted like the brush on the open range they fought to protect and from which they carved their livelihood.

Bill’s words were written on my heart, but that was not enough.

As soon as I was out of the valley and had cell service, I called my cowboy poet friend, Brian M. Arnold, and told him the story. Less than fifteen minutes later, the masterpiece was penned.

This tribute to those “too young to shave,” who gave all, who understood the value of the blessings of this country and were not afraid to stand and defend this beautiful nation, now hangs on the walls of the Warhawk Air Museum.

Too Young to Shave

His body was gnarled and twisted, like a wind-blown juniper tree.
He’d seen the sun rise and seen the sun set more times than two of me.

Hobbling from his truck using two canes, so I stopped and held the door,
he said, “I’m here for the Town Hall meetin’. Is that what your’re here for?”

I wondered aloud why a ninety-year-old man even cared about civic affairs.
He said, “let me tell you a story.” So, I grabbed a couple of chairs.

When Pearl Harbor was bombed a bunch of us boys all went into town to join up,
from the farms and ranches, and some from in town. We had an enemy to whup.

They took down our names and gave us a number, then said they’ give us a call.
So many young fellers were signing up that they couldn’t process them all.

Was a whole lot of youngsters standin’ in line, see they was lyin’ about their age,
all ready to die for our country, while still too young to shave.

It took a few months before they got to us all, ‘cause so many want to go,
I was an infantryman in the Army, a regular G.I. Joe.

Saw many a good man die over there, it was a special kind of hell,
we were all just tryin to do our part, for some it didn’t work out well.

Most are buried in those foreign lands; they never did come home.
They gave their all for freedom, across the briny foam.

That war’s long over and there’s been some since, but I can never forget,
true comrades that I fought alongside, as they placed their final bet.

So that’s why I’m here, just to make sure that as long as our proud flag waves,
I do my damndest to honor those men too young to shave.

Brian Arnold
11/16/2016

Today, those words still echo.

Not only as a tribute to the men and women who served, but as a warning and a responsibility to each of us.

Freedom is not self-sustaining. Liberty is not inherited without sacrifice. The blessings we enjoy today were purchased by generations willing to lay down comfort, safety, and sometimes life itself for something greater than themselves.

May we never become so comfortable that we forget the cost. May we never become so divided that we dishonor their sacrifice. And may we never forget the men and women who stepped forward, many still just boys, too young to shave, yet old enough to bleed for freedom.

God bless,

Senator Christy Zito,
District 8,
Protecting Freedom for Future Generations

P.S. If you haven’t already, subscribe to my Substack (zitoforidaho.substack.com) for straight updates you won’t get from the mainstream press. Let’s stay connected and stay strong.

Guest Columnist Brian Almon: Memorial Day 2026

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Observer Staff
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(Image Credit: Gem State Chronicle)

May 25, 2026 (Cover Image Credit: Gem State Chronicle)

Memorial Day 2026

By: Brian Almon

Gem State Chronicle Publisher Brian Almon

Memorial Day is all about remembering those who died in service to our country—those who gave their lives so that others could live. While we honor the fallen on Memorial Day, its true purpose is for we the living, to remember their sacrifice and become better for it. As Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. explained in 1884:

But although desire cannot be imparted by argument, it can be by contagion. Feeling begets feeling, and great feeling begets great feeling. We can hardly share the emotions that make this day to us the most sacred day of the year, and embody them in ceremonial pomp, without in some degree imparting them to those who come after us. I believe from the bottom of my heart that our memorial halls and statues and tablets, the tattered flags of our regiments gathered in the Statehouses, are worth more to our young men by way of chastening and inspiration than the monuments of another hundred years of peaceful life could be.

Two hundred and fifty years is not a long time in the grand scheme of things. Holmes himself was born at a time when veterans of the War for Independence were still alive. He later fought in the Civil War, where he was wounded three times. Appointed to the Supreme Court by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902, Holmes served until age 90 before passing away in 1935. There are still living Americans who were children during Holmes’ tenure on the Court, though their numbers dwindle every day.

If it was important in Holmes’ time to set aside a day filled with pomp and ceremony to remember our honored dead, it is even more important now, in a world dominated by technology that offers ephemeral experiences to feed short attention spans.

The further we drift from our history, and the more the experience of war is removed from the average person, the more imperative it becomes to put aside our daily distractions and meditate on what their sacrifice really means. It is in the death of our heroes that we find meaning for our own lives, as Holmes captured more than a century ago:

But, nevertheless, the generation that carried on the war has been set apart by its experience. Through our great good fortune, in our youth our hearts were touched with fire. It was given to us to learn at the outset that life is a profound and passionate thing. While we are permitted to scorn nothing but indifference, and do not pretend to undervalue the worldly rewards of ambition, we have seen with our own eyes, beyond and above the gold fields, the snowy heights of honor, and it is for us to bear the report to those who come after us. But, above all, we have learned that whether a man accepts from Fortune her spade, and will look downward and dig, or from Aspiration her axe and cord, and will scale the ice, the one and only success which it is his to command is to bring to his work a mighty heart.

Those of us who never wore the uniform, served in combat, or faced death must learn secondhand from those who did. That is the ultimate purpose of Memorial Day—to remind those of us who live in safety and relative naivete not only what our liberty cost, but also that life is, as Holmes said, a “profound and passionate thing” not to be taken lightly.

They died so that we might live. Let us not take that gift for granted.

About Brian Almon

Brian Almon is the Editor of the Gem State Chronicle. He also serves as Chairman of the District 14 Republican Party and is a trustee of the Eagle Public Library Board. He lives with his wife and five children in Eagle.

Editor’s note:  This article originally appeared in the Gem State Chronicle.  I encourage our readers to visit their website and consider subscribing.  Find this and other informative articles at the Gem State Chronicle here: About – Gem State Chronicle

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