One of Sparks’ most distinguished natives passed away on October 17, this year. His name was Procter Hug, Jr., who was the Chief Judge emeritus of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. His obituary cited a long and impressive judicial career which gained him all sorts of awards. In addition to having a fine legal mind, he was a superb athlete both at Sparks High and the … [Read more...]
Justice Matters but Redemption Matters More
The older I get, the more I become certain of what I do not know. Here’s something I do not know: I do not know if my fierce passion about the subject of evil is learned or inherent. Sometimes I think the passion is a consequence of my history. My life experience. That the passion was/ is a spontaneous adaptation helping me to survive. I learned it, and that of necessity. I … [Read more...]
Swamp dwellers
Several of the most famous Swamp Dwellers in Washington reared their heads last week when an impeachment inquiry was launched by Speaker Pelosi. They would be Pelosi herself, Adam Schiff and Chuck Schumer. All three called for the impeachment of President Trump based on a Whistleblower complaint. That complaint was mostly “hear say” rather than firsthand knowledge by the … [Read more...]
Déjà vu all over again: Bernie turns 2020 into 1968
Bernie Sanders’ heart attack may have turned 2020 into 1968. His campaign just sent out an e stating “Bernie is in good health and is in good spirits,” adding “The fact of the matter is he’s coming out of this healthier and stronger.” God, I hope so. But questions about a candidate’s health can be fatal. Ten-term Congressman Walter Baring, D-Nev., kept his 1972 St. Mary’s … [Read more...]
Presidents and courts should not overturn laws
The Supreme Court in June agreed to decide whether the Trump administration lawfully canceled a program created by executive fiat by President Obama in 2012 that protected immigrants brought into the country illegally as children — popularly dubbed Dreamers — from deportation and be provided work permits. Prior to that, such persons were subject to deportation by law. The … [Read more...]
Casting doubt on the climate doomsayers
The apocalypse is nigh. It must be so. It is in all the papers. Why even a 16-year-old Swedish scold lectured the delegates to the United Nations recently: “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words and yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass … [Read more...]
Government Retiree Costs Must be Reined in
The PERS cost creep continues. According to TransparentNevada, a website maintained by the Nevada Policy Research Institute, the number of former Nevada government employees drawing pensions in excess of $100,000 a year from the Nevada Public Employees’ Retirement System now exceeds 2,150. In 2013, when pension data were first made available the number was 1,000. To pay … [Read more...]
City of Reno Turns W. Plumb Lane into Horny Street
And I endorse their action, dammit! Hunter Lake Road to W. Plumb Lane was a twolane dead end when I moved here in 1971. A growing population and completion of the southwest quadrant of the McCarran loop made connection to McCarran necessary. It took decades. While it had been in the planning stages since the 1950s, the upper crust in southwest Reno prevented completion … [Read more...]