“The quality of mercy is not strained; / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven / Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest; / It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.” Portia, Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” Act IV, Scene 1 As his last pardon before leaving office, President Obama granted mercy to Chelsea Manning. OK. But the sad irony is that … [Read more...]
Obama’s Farewell
Like many Americans, I listened to President Obama’s farewell address to the nation. As was expected, it was delivered in his best rhetorical hyperbole. Strangely enough, it was also eerily similar to the speech he made eight years ago when he won the election. On that occasion he promised to unite a divided country and bring significant change to the way Washington … [Read more...]
Give Nevadans a Voice in How Our Land is Used
Nevada’s two remaining Republican representatives in Washington have joined forces to introduce legislation that would prevent future presidents from usurping Nevada land without first consulting Nevadans. This past week Sen. Dean Heller and Rep. Mark Amodei, who represents Northern Nevada, introduced the Nevada Land Sovereignty Act of 2017 (H.R. 243, S. 22). If passed, it … [Read more...]
Eye For An Eye: Karma Snaps Back on Harry
We won’t say Harry Reid is dumb as a post. We’d need an official IQ test from the post. What we can say, however, is that what goes around comes around for Reid, and in the case of the so-called “Nuclear Option” for Senate appointees, it’s coming around with a vengeance. Reid changed Senate rules so that presidential confirmations no longer take 60 votes, but only 50+1. That … [Read more...]
Congress or Trump Could Undo Monument Designation
There is a word for what President Obama did this past week in declaring Gold Butte a national monument: dictatorial. In just more than a year Obama has unilaterally declared off-limits to productive economic uses 1 million acres of Nevada land — first the 700,000-acre Basin and Range National Monument straddling the border between Lincoln and Nye counties and now the … [Read more...]
Council Approves $15K in Funds for Cops Study
Sparks is spending $15,000 to help fund a study that will try to identify and recommend the best practices for reducing crime and building trust in area law enforcement officers. The Sparks City Council voted to spend money obtained in drug forfeiture and seizure funds for a study that will also include Reno police and the Washoe County sheriff’s office. Back in December … [Read more...]
The Obama Legacy
President Barack Hussein Obama is famous for stating that his non-accomplishments should be preserved for posterity. During the recent presidential campaign he ranted and raved about Donald Trump and famously stated that Hillary was the most qualified person to ever seek the presidency. He even went so far as to say that if the constituency did not vote for Hillary, he would … [Read more...]
U.S. Complicit in Yemeni War Crimes
President Obama in his last month in office can ease his reputation as a warmonger by ending complicity in airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition against Yemen. The airstrikes recently devastated a funeral gathering in Yemen, causing a humanitarian catastrophe in one of the world’s poorest countries. The New York Times editorialized: “Obama has the power to stop the … [Read more...]