Sagebrush Variety Show: Essay of the Week

Essay of the Week:

Our Essays of the Week serve not only to bust some of the ranching myths that are out there-- along with showcasing examples of corporate welfare--but are also a format to convey an essay on an issue of local interest.

Show 1: Existential poet of the West, Kickboy Peasley, reminisces about the changing Idaho landscape, Idaho nepotism, corruption, and poor water quality of streams.
Actor/writer: Robert McMinn.

Show 2: This essay tells the story of the Camas Wars in the late 1800s in Idaho, in which European settlers displaced Native Americans from their region and rapidly destroyed their way of life. A dramatic element of the events as they occurred was the intentional use of pigs to accelerate the destruction of the camas lilies, whose bulbs were the staple food of the Nez Perce and other tribes in the region and were much enjoyed by the pigs. Told from the point of view of a postbellum settler with a sense of entitlement and superiority, connections are drawn between slavery in the South and genocide in the West to illustrate various manifestations of racism (Idaho was settled by many Southerners during the Reconstruction and many of their attitudes can still be found today).
Actor: Kaitlin Woody. Writer: Gwen Sanchirico

Show 3: This essay addresses just two of the many invasive non-native weeds spread by livestock across the West: Canada Thistle and Leafy Spurge. Joanne Sheepsley-Peasy's delivery is just as cheerful and insipid as the real thing.
Actor/writer: April Hoy

Show 4: This week's essay is read by a corporate executive who justifies his need for owning a corporate jet, claiming that the entire American economy is based on the comfort of executives.
Actor: Jeremy Sinkinson. Writer: Robert McMinn

Show 6: This episode brings up the controversial Owyhee Initiative, a public lands privatization deal marketed as a plan to designate Wilderness in Southwest Idaho in a process that works by consensus and includes public input. A self-appointed group of ranchers, politicians, and career environmentalists have been given the power to determine the fate of the Owyhees thanks to Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, and they actively suppress information and exclude opponents from the decisionmaking. In this essay, we present a composite of some of the leaders of the environmental organizations that are part of the scheme and spell out the problems with the OI and bring up what people will do to further their careers as a side note. Most Idahoans who consider themselves environmentalists and want to preserve wild lands support the OI, because “environmental” organizations have told them to do so. If they only knew the details, they'd likely change their minds.
Actor: Tricia Cook. Writer: Gwen Sanchirico

Show 8: This episode is a tribute to bicycle commuters. This essay stands apart from the others in that it isn't sarcastic, the exception being a nod given to the xenophobia rampant in Idaho. It also provides an opportunity to give suggestions on how to avoid flat tires and hopefully encourage more people to ride their bikes instead of driving.
Actor/writer: Gwen Sanchirico

Show 10: Ostriches and sheep, together. Ranching makes exctinction avoidable.
Actor: April Hoy. Writer: Gwen Sanchirico

Show 16: Everyone has a little prima donna in them. Joanne Sheepsley-Peasy's comes out during a radio recording session for her weekly essay, on snowy winter memories.
Actors: April Hoy, Tricia Cook, Gwen Sanchirico. Writer: Gwen Sanchirico

Show 38: The sad but necessary landfill burial, where cattle and sheep go when suspected of being tainted with BSE or scrapie.
Actor: April Hoy. Writer: Robert McMinn

Show 43: Rachel Snellighman, corporate rights activist, waxes nostalgic for the good old days when voters used to vote more often.
Actor, Writer: April Hoy.

Show 70: Joanne Sheepsley-Peasy tells the story of the wolf hunt by air.
Actor, Writer: April Hoy.

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If you live in Idaho and would like to submit an Essay of the Week of your own, we will consider it for production. It must adhere to the spirit of our satire and must not exceed a page and a half typed, single-spaced. If you live in the Boise area, or if you don't but can record yourself reading your essay, we will consider using your voice as well! Please email your essay submission to us at sagebrush@radioboise.org, along with your contact information.