Five years ago the Bureau of Land Management locked the gate to Little Ash Springs north of Alamo on Highway 93 in Lincoln County, saying it would take a couple of weeks to repair a man-made soaking pool on the 1-acre popular hot springs recreation area. The closure was for public safety concerns lest the walls of the pool collapse and injure or even kill someone. This past … [Read more...]
Pardon for Oregon Ranchers Just the First Step
Etched in stone above the entrance of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington are the words: “Equal justice under law.” The treatment of father and son Oregon ranchers by the federal judicial system makes a travesty of those words, though President Trump’s pardon this past week is a first step toward rectifying their injustice. In 2001 Dwight Hammond and his son … [Read more...]
Senate Should Quickly Confirm Kavanaugh to High Court
When it comes to Nevada politics, principles be damned, it is all about partisanship, no matter the topic. President Trump’s nomination of federal Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court is still another case in point. The Senate must now exercise its constitutional advise and consent role to confirm the nomination — by … [Read more...]
Rosen’s Disclose Act Really Chill Act
Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen, who is seeking Republican Sen. Dean Heller’s seat in the November election, has come out strongly in support of a bill that would require disclosure of donors to groups seeking to influence political issues and campaigns. Rosen announced that she is a co-sponsor of the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) … [Read more...]
BLM Should Fight Wild Horse Suit This Time
The usual suspects are at it again, filing a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia demanding the court halt a plan by the Bureau of Land Management to remove all the feral horses in a 40-mile radius around Caliente. The American Wild Horse Campaign, Western Watershed Project, The Cloud Foundation and a Beatty outdoor enthusiast are suing the … [Read more...]
Free Speech Issues ‘on the Ballot’ in Nevada
The right to free speech includes the right to not be compelled to speak. That includes not being required to pay dues to a union whose political views might be different from yours, not being required to advertise abortion availability at your faith-based pregnancy counseling service, not being required to use your cake baking talent to create a special cake or your flower … [Read more...]
Forget PILT Checks, Transfer Federal Land to Nevada
It’s that time of year again, when counties in Nevada and across the West squat on the street corner with their alms cups extended anxiously awaiting the tinkling sound of a few coins from the federal till — otherwise known as Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) — and certain politicians pound their chests and boast of their generosity. Since 1977 Congress has parsimoniously … [Read more...]
Judicial Bias Depends on the Party Involved
Bias, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Earlier this year a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a decision by Reno federal Judge Robert Clive Jones involving water rights in the Walker River Basin and ordered him removed from the case, saying he was biased against the federal government’s attorneys. “We … [Read more...]