“I’m black and you’re a Jew. How do you intend to make it in this town?” — Bill Russell to Red Auerbach c. 1956 “I’ll outlive them all,” the legendary Boston Celtics coach replied. Good advice both in the concrete and the abstract. Boston is still flamingly racist. As is the small town called Nevada. Beantown and Mississippi West have just gotten good at euphemism, … [Read more...]
How to live forever
In the future, every single thing we see on the Internet is going to be fake. Thus spake a major high tech investor on the PBS Newshour last Saturday. Early warning avatars surround us. On the smartphone application TikTok, you can make yourself dance like a cartoon or modify your body to look like JLo or The Rock. Or both. (Aargh!) Harmless? Hardly. It means that Donald … [Read more...]
Nevada: Company town, corporate dumpster
The Lord created the world. Mankind built the cities. And the Devilthunk up the small town.Wise old saying Part of Silver State survival lies in learning local code. For instance, when a pol uses the tired slogan “one of us,” it means that whomever opposes him (and it’s usually a him) is somekinda furriner or a prevert, probably from Las Vegas. Same mentality applies when … [Read more...]
The Wages of Sin
Our republic and its press will rise or fall together.Joseph Pulitzer “Reno is so incestuous,” a reporter who became a noted lawyer once told me. The result of that longtime good-ole-boys sterility remains obvious to anyone standing under the Reno Arch today. Into this corrupt post-WW2 mix came two entrepreneurial Italians in a very Italian town. Al Figoni legendarily ran … [Read more...]
Poison Annie’s revenge executed
TRUE OR FALSE? “The Flintstones” is a documentary. “Row versus Wade” involves a fisherman’s choices for crossing a raging stream. A homotextual is someone who drinks homogenized milk while using Twitter. If you didn’t answer false to all three, you may return to Fox News. Regular Barbwire readers know that when I make a mistake, I eat crow with lots of mustard. However, … [Read more...]
The fall of Camelot
At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.Denzel Washington The formerly united states of America have been on a drug-induced high since 1945. We were rich, powerful and on top of the world economically, militarily and egotistically. Very addictive opiates. We didn’t know it but we peaked by 1968, the year a dollar bought more than anytime … [Read more...]
Fight back against white elephants
When there’s a fight, liberals cut and runTravus T. Hipp (1937- 2012) My Tribune colleague often said that in his hall of fame radio career and many times, he proved correct. I’ve lately seen a rash of obituaries for liberal democracy. A few examples: The egalitarian era from President Franklin Roosevelt to Lyndon Johnson was a one-time aberration. Reversing Roe v. Wade … [Read more...]
Eagles, chickens & Treasongate turkeys
Media is the plural of mediocreJimmy Breslin To paraphrase Charles Barkley, you know the world is going to hell when FOX News deserves praise for (ZOUNDS!) carrying the congressional Treasongate hearings while PBS airs old news shows or kiddie cartoons. That’s what happened in this region last Thursday and Monday and will again today. Public Broadcasting System KNPB … [Read more...]