“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master — that’s all.” -- Alice in Wonderland God save us from the rise of the eggheads … [Read more...]
Gov. Lumbago’s Slush Fund
Sen. Skip Daly, D-Sparks, kicked the governor’s ass last week. Greenhorn GOP Gov. Giuseppe Lumbago’s minions came before the State Senate Government Affairs Committee to push for a government “modernization plan,” dubbed “the Nevada Way” -- a slogan apparently copied from UNR President Brian Sandoval’s “Wolf Pack Way.” Either way, there were few cheerleaders. “I’d … [Read more...]
The awful truth and then some
THE TRUTH ABOUT FAKE NEWS. Tucker Carlson, a lesion on the body politick, has been excised, at least for awhile. AIN’T NO FAKE NEWS IN THESE PARTS. Awhile back, I congratulated the corporate owners of the Reno Gazette-Journal for appointing veteran journalist Peggy Santoro as only the second WOMAN executive editor the in paper’s history. (The first was Barbara Henry almost … [Read more...]
Fire hazards and ego trips
If the Secret Service has come for me by the time you read this, please write me in jail. I tried to warn Vice-President Kamala Harris’ retinue that if the secret location of her Tuesday speech was the UNR Student Union’s fourth-floor theater, she would be walking into a fire trap. That theater is unsafe. (Barbwire 12-12-2013) The site was never disclosed because of … [Read more...]
An earful of cider
“One of these days in your travels, a guy is going to come up to you and show you a nice brand-new deck of cards on which the seal is not yet broken, and this guy is going to offer to bet you that he can make the Jack of Spades jump out of the deck and squirt cider in your ear. But, son, do not bet this man, for as sure as you are standing there, you are going to end up with an … [Read more...]
Who will answer?
From the canyons of the mind We wander on and stumble blindly Through the often tangled maze Of starless nights and sunless days While asking for some kind of clue Or road to lead us to the truth But who will answer?* Might we in this fortress nation finally be feeling a twinge of the pain our peers suffer all across our little blue marble spaceship? All … [Read more...]
Recurring revolutions and tent control
Even gambling execs were living in tents by the river in late 1970s. (I filmed them.) Growth spurred by the openings of the MGM Grand (now Grand Sierra) and five other new hotels made the area burst at the seams. Speculators from California were driving around with suitcases full of cash looking to snap up properties at any price knowing they could make big bucks on a quick … [Read more...]
Playing ball at Golden Eagle is hazardous to your health
BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH. Nevada is a great place to dwell if you don’t have to breathe. As my old football coach once noted, breathing is voluntary. Today’s fearless leaders are like my coach. Only worse. FOWL BALL. That fluttery squawking you hear is Sparks City Hall playing chicken with your kids’ lives. The chickens are now coming home to roost. Don’t say I didn’t … [Read more...]