“The Democrat-controlled liberal mainstream media is LYING, claiming that the Republican Party is divided at our own Republican National Convention.” So asserted a July 21 e-mail from the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Later that day, Reno City Hall announced “The Reno Fire Department will reopen Reno Fire Station 19 in Somersett on Friday, July 22.” They … [Read more...]
Ice Water for News too Hot to Handle
The summer is too hot, the campaign rhetoric too heated, the atmosphere too thick - like an increasing number of heads. In the interest of cooling things off, how about a brief excursion into the lighter side of harsh reality? ICY PR. On the July 27 Channel 8 early news, veteran reporter Ed Pearce did a story on the extreme heat. He interviewed an NVEnergy PR person who … [Read more...]
The Foolish Follytix of Fearmongering Never Change
“The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.” - Hermann Goering (1893-1946) I apologize for repeating the loathsome Herr Goering’s most famous quote, but the … [Read more...]
Sheriff Chucky: More guns to shoot cops, alleluia!
“Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” — Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) Washoe County Sheriff Chuck Allen was the first badge-bearer to speak at last Thursday’s overflowing NAACP forum. I asked him to explain his Reno Gazette-Journal column opposing Question 1 this November. It would require background checks for gun show purchasers, closing a huge loophole whereby … [Read more...]
The top 10 Cures for What Ails Us: Better Late than Never
Solutions to our riots in the streets are simple. We just need the courage to finally say yes. 1. END NIXON’S BOGUS WAR ON DRUGS. In 1994, former Nixon White House aide John Erlichmann told journalist/author Dan Baum that Richard the Rotten hated two enemies, “the antiwar left and black people. We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by … [Read more...]
When Public Interest is Secondary to Public Relations
Karl Marx called religion “the opium of the people.” Wrong. Opium is the opiate. In all the publicity surrounding the big drug bust at Jones-West Ford, one minor aside got lost. The feds ordered their local operatives to delay the big event. Why? Alas, public interest often takes a back seat to public relations. Websearch “opioid epidemic 2015” and Mother Google … [Read more...]
Who owns Nevada’s PBS TV 5-and-10-cent store?
Nevada has a handful of public television stations. Alas and alack, Reno’s KNPB TV-5 and Gomorrah South’s KLVX TV-10 are not among them. The Public Broadcasting System affiliates have long been guilty of misleading advertising by calling themselves public. True public broadcasting wherein the people could speak in their own voices was aborted in Las Vegas and starved to … [Read more...]
Donald Trump, Charles Manson and Mother Theresa
In today’s media-sotted society, getting famous is everything. It doesn’t matter how. Charles Mansons and Mother Theresas can both get book contracts and ghost writers. Saints and charlatans are encouraged to apply. “The message of television is ‘you are irrelevant.’ If your language or your color do not appear on television, you don’t matter,” said Access Sacramento Executive … [Read more...]