A friend brought it to my attention that some of the people who have been adamantly writing against any positive aspects of cell phone use in our Sawtooth National Recreation Area and surrounding region, and who won't buy a phone on principal, think it's perfectly OK to borrow other people's phones to make their important calls.
Something else that's not being talked about much is that some people in small Idaho communities still unsecured by cell towers hesitate to speak their true feelings out of fear of being shunned--or worse--by the prevailing Flintstone-aged attitudes of their townspeople.
In one community, this fever has reached such a high chirping pitch that even a physician has gone on public record to speak out against cell phone towers. So far, though, I have not heard any police or emergency medical technicians make convincing arguments about how the potential unsightliness of Galena's cell tower--or any other tower--would outweigh its multitude of benefits.
Some naysayers worry about how the safety beacon on the hill might smear the landscape if pine beetles munch their way over Alexander Ross' ancient pass. If this does happen, it is actually one more reason to have a cell tower on that exact spot, as it will have then become more avalanche-prone in this dangerous area where young sports-enthusiasts have already lost their lives after needlessly suffering because of extended communication delays.
Jim Banholzer
Ketchum
