While I opposed a good many things Sen. Harry Reid tried to do during his time as a national leader, I don’t begrudge him the honor of having the Las Vegas airport renamed after him.
He’s the perfect politician to follow Sen. Pat McCarran, for whom the airport is currently named. They are two peas in a pod. One was a racist and bully in the 1930s through the 50s. The other exhibited similar off-putting tendencies in the 1990s through the early 21st century.
If I were forced at gunpoint to re-name the Las Vegas Airport, there’s about 20 people ahead of Sen. Reid on my list. I’d think about going in the direction of iconic Las Vegas entertainers — Sinatra, Martin, etc. — or some of the lesser-known pioneer civil rights activists who made Nevada a far better place to live than anything Harry Reid ever did in his tenure.
And, if I had to stick to the politician genre, Gov. Mike O’Callaghan, Sen. Dick Bryan, Sen. Paul Laxalt and Gov. Grant Sawyer would run circles around the merits of Harry Reid.
O’Callaghan was not only a good political leader, he was also a good person who genuinely liked people and enjoyed being with them. Reid was damn near a recluse while in office. He dealt with friends and foes with all the people skills of a mob boss. Speaking of mob bosses, I think I could make a better case for naming the airport after Moe Dalitz than Harry Reid.
But, maybe that’s just me. Besides, I’m not the king of Nevada and Harry’s not the first undeserving politician to have something named after him. A few folks of a certain vintage, like myself, who lived through the Reid legacy will crack a few jokes about naming the main terminal the “Clean Face Terminal” and pointing out that Reid International Airport has a suspicious number of money exchange booths in it, but eventually all that will fade away and people, like they do today, will simply call it “the Las Vegas airport.”
And that, my friends, is a fitting legacy for Sen. Harry Reid.
NO KNOCK WARRANTS
The Nevada Legislature is looking at limiting no-knock search warrants to the most extreme circumstances. The move comes after the issue was made a cause celeb in the death of Breonna Taylor, a black woman in Louisville who was killed in a raid on her house.
Under the “Blind Squirrel” rubric, our Legislature will move this issue along not because it is the right thing to do, but because it is now a popular Black issue, ripe for the pandering.
The doctrine that a person’s home is his or her castle is a concept that extends to all Americans, no matter the color of their skin.
No-knock searches should be the iron-clad rule. Bursting into a person’s home with a battering ram — as police did in Louisville to Breonna Taylor — resulted in Taylor’s boyfriend firing a shot that hit a policeman. Police then returned fire and Taylor died.
Those are the sad facts and it all could have been avoided had authorities executed the warrant differently. So, count me in on this legislation. The best plan is for authorities to get a warrant. Knock first and plainly identify themselves.
Black, white and all shades in between, that’s the way to do it.
ONE MORE THING
— I remember Drive-In movies. I don’t remember any of the movies.
— I don’t trust stairs. They are always up to something.
— What does a Thesaurus eat for breakfast? A synonym roll.
With that, I’ll pick up my knitting and let myself out. Thanks for reading. Be safe, be kind and mask-up.
(Sherman R. Frederick is the founder of Battle Born Media, a newspaper company dedicated to the preservation of community newspapers. You can follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/sherm.frederick/. He may be reached at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
Mark Kelly says
Racist
Very Tricky
I’m glad that the Las Vegas International Airport
Has changed its name from a White Nigger Name
But
Whats the new name going to be
__________________
Racist
Well
Thats a 2 sided coin
__________________
Obviously
There are White Nigger Racist
But
Then you have the Mixed Nigger Racist
They demand that every one be mixed race
_________________
Nigger Hitler
Nigger hitler doesn’t under stand
You can’t be Aryan
When you have black hair
________________
I’m the Head Liner on ” Whats Causing The Mass Exodus From California, CNBC, u-tube ”
Eric Travers
February 23 2021 4:43 pm PT