DA and Metro have known since 2001 Kirstin Lobato is innocent

Transcription

Judge Catherine Ramsey
running for District Court
in Department 20
PAGE 4
Bernie Sanders’
Ideology!
(Part one of a series)
PAGE 9
Volume 17, Issue 50
Clintons
subpoenaed
in federal probe
PAGE 10
lasvegastribune.com
February 17-23, 2016
Ward 5 Chamber of Commerce Member
DA and Metro have known since
2001 Kirstin Lobato is innocent
By Hans Sherrer
Las Vegas Tribune Exclusive
On February 8, 2016 a two-part
investigative series about Kirstin
Blaise Lobato’s case was broadcast
on Las Vegas’ KVVU-TV (Fox
Channel 5). Reporter Cyndi
Lundeberg did a commendable job
of trying to condense a case that has
gone on for almost 15 years, and
involves two trials and three Nevada Supreme Court appeals.
However, KVVU didn’t report
on one of the most compelling aspects of Ms. Lobato’s case: Three
days after her arrest on July 20,
2001, the Clark County District
Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department began
obtaining evidence she wasn’t involved in Duran Bailey’s July 8,
2001 homicide next to a bank on
My Point
of View
By Rolando Larraz
I believe I have been a customer
of T-Mobile for about ten years, and
the other day while I was suffering
the drama of trying to call technical support, I had to realize that the
tools the higher-ups in that company give their employees to work
with are, in fact, useless.
The original recording I heard
was that “due to a high call volume”... doesn’t that sound familiar?
It’s the same recording for
NVEnergy AKA NV Power AKA
Nevada Power; and it’s the same
recording used by the Metro 311
call center — the same voice and
the exact same message.
The recording says that if I want
T-Mobile to call me back within
twenty-five to thirty- five minutes,
they will do that so I won’t have to
wait on line, so I confirmed my desire for them to call me back and
hung up. Fifty-five minutes later
(not twenty-five or thirty-five), TMobile called and placed me on
hold again for ten minutes until I
could get someone to come on the
line.
The lady who earned the misery
of helping me was very nice, very
patient, very professional and
helped me for the next twenty minutes, but I had more to say and
needed more help than she could
give, so I asked her to let me speak
to her supervisor.
After another ten minutes waiting for the supervisor to find a telephone on which to talk to me, I
asked the supervisor the same question I asked the telephone operator:
What are they teaching you when
you become an employee of T-Mobile and you attend their training
class? Do they teach you that the
clients, the customers — or whatever we are being called in those
training classes — are trash? That
we are like chewing gum that you
just spit in the trash after you’ve lost
the taste of it?
But she had no answer for my
questions; she knew I was right. All
those people on the phone are supposedly capable, but the system and
the equipment that the company
gives them to do their job simply
stinks.
Remember I told you that my
telephone worked for twenty minutes? Well, after twenty minutes I
was with no telephone again and no
one knew why, and that is when my
nightmare started; early on it was
just a drama, but by now it had become a nightmare.
The first call, after being told
(See My Point of View, Page 2)
rested at her parents’ home in
Panaca, by Metro Homicide Detectives Thomas Thowsen and James
LaRochelle. Her statement describes that before mid-June 2001
she brandished her pocket knife to
fend off an attempted rape in the
parking lot of a Budget Suites Hotel in east Las Vegas. She described
trying to cut him but didn’t know if
she did so. However, she doesn’t
make a single mention in her statement that there was any blood on
her, her clothing, or her car in which
she fled from the man. That suggests he wasn’t bleeding.
The detectives assumed she was
talking about the homicide of
Bailey, whose penis was amputated.
That was an incongruous assumption because she specifically said
her assailant was alive when she
escaped, and she described the incident as occurring weeks prior to
Bailey’s death eight miles from
where she was attacked.
On July 23, 2001 the DA’s Office filed first-degree murder
charges against Ms. Lobato. The
charges were based on Thowsen
and LaRochelle’s Arrest Report
which doesn’t state any evidence:
that Ms. Lobato was at the scene of
Bailey’s homicide; that she inflicted
his fatal blunt force trauma head
wound and contributory neck
wound; or, that she was even in Las
Vegas on the day he died.
On the afternoon of the 23rd the
two detectives began their investigation to find evidence supporting
the murder charge filed earlier that
day. However, their investigation
(See Kirstin Lobato, Page 3)
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia,79, died Saturday, February 13
during a hunting vacation in Texas.
A spokesman for Sen. Mike Lee
(R-Utah), a conservative who sits
on the Judiciary panel, immediately
sent a message on Twitter stating
that no nominee from Obama
should be considered.
What is less than zero? The
chances of Obama successfully appointing a Supreme Court Justice
to replace Scalia? — Conn Carroll
(@conncarroll) February 13, 2016
Several 2016 GOP White House
hopefuls and Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
said the next president, not Obama,
should select Scalia’s replacement.
(See Scalia, Page 3)
KIRSTIN LOBATO
Las Vegas’ Westside.
Lobato’s petition and other public
Ms. Lobato’s *habeas corpus* documents related to her case.
petition that seeks to overturn her
Bailey’s crime scene was ex2006 convictions is currently being tremely bloody because he lost
reviewed by the Nevada Supreme around two quarts of blood.
Court (NSC case no. 58913). The
The 18-year-old Ms. Lobato
following facts are detailed in Ms. gave a statement when she was ar-
Justice Antonin Scalia dead
By Harper Neidig
and Ian Swanson
The Hill
Supreme Court Justice Antonin
Scalia, 79, has died during a hunting vacation in Texas.
Scalia was the leading conservative voice on the court, and his
death will set off a mammoth fight
over who should replace him in the
heat of a presidential election cycle.
There is likely to be significant
pressure on the Senate, which is in
Republican hands, to hold off on
confirming anyone nominated by
President Obama, who is in his last
year in office.
PUC ruling: Everyone must bear certain
costs in a monopoly-run marketplace
By Thomas Mitchell
Let’s apply the logic of the Nevada Public Utilities Commission
to other situations.
They say those who don’t buy
as much electricity as their neighbors, because they generate their
own power with solar panels are
being subsidized by those neighbors who are bearing a greater portion of the fixed cost of the grid and
therefore solar panel owners should
pay more for the sake of fairness.
So, if you grow your own tomatoes in your backyard and only buy
tomatoes between ripe crops, you
should pay more for those tomatoes
because your neighbors are paying
for the shipping and handling of
those store bought tomatoes.
If you drive a gas-sipping car,
you should pay more per gallon to
cover the cost of drilling, refining
and transportation.
If you never get sick, you should
pay more to cover the cost of building hospitals and training doctors,
because you are not covering your
fair share of infrastructure costs.
From each according to their
means, to each according to their
needs — the definition of a
(See PUC Ruling, Page 7)
Solar activists assemble outside Public Utilities Commission Nevada offices in Las Vegas on Feb. 8 with
55,000 signatures opposing changes in net-metering rates.
A Criminal Judiciary
By Rolando Larraz
Las Vegas Tribune
Clark Feeley went to court as a
victim to stop the criminal activity
of his sister who was submitting
fraudulent banking documents that
were attempting to hide the theft of
money belonging to him.
He proved that his sister, Wanda
Feeley, was doing exactly what he
accused her of and she was removed as a Trustee and could no
longer deplete money belonging
to him.
This money was being stolen
from Trust funds that were transferred from a bank in New Hampshire and deposited into the sister’s
bank in Nevada.
This commingling of funds
amounted to a breach of Trust. She
made up phony documents on a
home computer and presented them
as being bank statements. This was
fraud and another breach of Trust.
The sister refused to submit le-
gitimate bank statements to the
court, which amounted to yet another breach of Trust.
Eventually a trial was held and
the bank records obtained through
subpoenas by the Plaintiff proved
conclusively that misappropriations were occurring by the Defendant and thousands of dollars had
been stolen from Clark Feeley.
The court had jurisdiction over
the case filed by the victim, Clark
(See Feeley, Page 3)
FROM THE DESK OF GORDON MARTINES
Feds self-serving “Overreach” in land grab and
false arrests in Burns, Oregon, will soon backfire
By Gordon Martines
The desperate and pathetic illegal actions by the federal government against cattle ranchers in
Bunkerville, Nevada and Burns,
Oregon have reached a fever pitch.
Arrests by federal agents against
Cliven Bundy, Ryan Bundy,
Ammon Bundy, along with patriotic supporters who backed the
BLM down in April of 2014, in
Bunkerville, NV, are paying the
price for embarrassing the BLM,
other federal agents and the sheriff
of Clark County, Nevada. Federal
Agents with the help of local and
State law enforcement personnel in
Portland, Oregon, arrested Cliven
Bundy, as he arrived at the Portland
Airport.
A total of 10 people so far are
incarcerated without bail on charges
stemming from the April 12, 2014
standoff and the February 11, 2016
conclusion of the Wildlife Refuge
occupation in Burns, Oregon.
As much as I can gather, the
(See From the Desk, Page 5)
Page 2 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / February 17-23, 2016
My Point of View
(Continued from Page 1)
that “due to a high call volume...”
for about forty minutes, the operator transferred me to a technical
support expert, and there went another thirty minutes, waiting for a
woman in the Philippines to answer
the telephone with a thicker accent
than me. I told her that I’d like to
speak to someone in the United
States, and she did transfer me to
someone else.
I asked the man at the other end
of the line where he was, and he told
me that he was in Mexico. I asked
him to transfer me to the United
States, and he said he was not able
to do that, but said he could place
my call back in the queue, which
meant that I would have to wait
another forty or fifty minutes. The
next call went to Canada, and so did
the next three calls.
TRIBUNE
VOL. 17, NO. 50
FOUNDER
Rolando Larraz
PUBLISHER
AND
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Rolando Larraz
GENERAL MANAGER
Perly Viasmensky
MANAGING EDITOR
Maramis Choufani
During one of those calls I
learned that it was a Canadian call
center and that T-Mobile is one of
many American businesses they
have for clients, and one of those
rude Canadians at the call center
representing T-Mobile insulted me
when I tried to explain why I didn’t
want to talk to them.
This was my explanation: There
are many American people out of
work here and you guys are taking
the jobs away from American workers because American companies
are exploiting you guys there by
paying you less money than they
would have to pay workers here;
then the Canadian I was speaking
to told me that what I said was a
cheap shot.
Well, maybe it was a cheap shot
to say that about Canada, but it is
the truth about the Philippines and
Mexico because what they have to
pay here for a day’s work they pay
for a month’s work there, while the
American people are on the unemployment line or running out of
their unemployment checks.
The fact is that both ends are
being abused and taken advantage
of by keeping the call centers out
of the country.
T-Mobile used to be one of my
favorite American companies, and
now I have serious doubts about the
honesty of the company. Unless the
owners of that company are not
American citizens and they have to
be faithful to their own country of
origin, I don’t know how they can
be faithful to the people of this
country.
We are in a very dangerous era
and we need to be sure of what we
are doing. Either we are faithful to
the United States or we are not, but
we cannot be against the United
States. Those jobs need to come
back to this country, and hopefully
they will when the new administration takes over on January 20, 2017.
T-Mobile needs to come clean
and bring their call centers back to
the United States, allowing American workers to once again have the
opportunity to earn a decent living
and be able to support their families.
Think about it, people! Those
who think that that communist from
Vermont, Bernie Sanders, is the salvation for this country are wrong.
If you don’t have the money to
travel to Venezuela or to Cuba to
see for yourself, pay attention to the
news; read about how life is under
a communist regime in those countries. If you think we are not going
to run out of toilet paper or toothpaste, and that we are not going to
stand in long lines to get one or two
items to eat, think again, my friends.
My name is Rolando Larraz, and
as always, I approved this column.
Rolando Larraz is Editor in
Chief of the Las Vegas Tribune. His
column appears weekly in this
newspaper. To contact Rolando
Larraz,
email
him
at:
[email protected] or
at 702-272-4634.
Face the Tribune Guests
DANNY AND AMY TARKANIAN
Radio Tribune is honored to welcome two well known and respected members of the local political scene, Danny Tarkanian and
his wife, Amy Tarkanian former Nevada Republican Party Chair Person.
Danny Tarkanian is running for Congress in District 3 and is the
Las Vegas Tribune and Radio Tribune favorite candidate in that race.
After earning his bachelor’s degree at the University of Nevada at
Las Vegas, Tarkanian went on to complete his law degree at the University of San Diego.
He is a small business owner in Las Vegas, where he also runs the
Tarkanian Basketball Academy, a nonprofit organization focused on
working with at-risk youth. He is the son of former UNLV coach
Jerry Tarkanian and current Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lois
Tarkanian.
Amy and Danny Tarkanian will be on Face The Tribune on Friday, February 19 from noon to 1:00 p.m., right before the Wake Up
Call show and The Heard at two in the afternoon.
Don’t miss this show; it promises to be very interesting and politically educating.
PRODUCTION
Don Snook
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Colleen Lloyd
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
Kenneth A. Wegner
For advertising
rates, deadlines
call 702-426-6022
or 702-426-5962
Las Vegas Tribune is published
weekly at 717 So. 9th Street,
Las Vegas, Nevada 89101.
Main Number: (702) 714-0119
RadioTribune Call-in Number
(702) 983-0711
Website:
LasVegasTribune.com
All rights reserved. Statements,
opinions and points of view expressed by the writers are their
own and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher.
Information, including prices
and times, is considered correct
at the time of publishing but may
change without notice. Las Vegas Tribune assumes no responsibility for unsolicited
manuscripts, transparencies or
other submitted materials. For
return, please enclose a selfaddressed stamped envelope.
Las Vegas Tribune
published weekly by the
Tribune Media Group
David A. Rifkin, Executive Vice President
Quote of the Week:
“We are shaped
and fashioned by
what we love.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Please Note:
Although the Las Vegas Tribune
is open to all and sundry opinions about what we publish, we
wish to inform all those who
choose to submit their opinions
in writing to refrain from threatening anyone about whom an article is written or the writer of
the article. In other words, any
opinions containing threats will
not be published. We thank you
for adhering to this policy.
MISSION
STATEMENT
We search for the truth, embrace the truth, and print the truth.
If we inadvertently print something that is not true, we will let
our readers know. We are open to
documented information to shed
light on any issue of concern to
our readers. We are of service to
our community, and it is our intention to serve our community
the best way we can.
CALL TODAY
(702) 426-6022 or (702) 426-5962
Email: [email protected]
RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF THE LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE EVERY WEEK!
To receive a complimentary link to every new issue of the Las Vegas Tribune, please send
an email to [email protected] and give us the email address where you
would like your copy sent. We look forward to having you as a subscriber to our publication.
February 17-23, 2016 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / Page 3
Attorney General Laxalt How do you solve a problem
issues statement on like Antonin Scalia? ...redux
Justice Antonin Scalia
Special to the Las Vegas Tribune
CARSON CITY — Saturday,
February 13, Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt issued the
following statement after hearing of
the death of Supreme Court Justice
Antonin Scalia:
Today, our nation lost one of its
finest public servants: Supreme
Court Justice Antonin Scalia. I am
deeply grieving the loss of Justice
Scalia in two ways: as a friend,
blessed by his kindness, and as an
American, blessed by his wisdom.
Few in the history of this nation
have done more to defend, preserve
and protect the United States Constitution. Few have been better endowed by their Creator to articulate
the principles upon which our liberty rests. And even fewer, if any
in our history, have used that ability better than Justice Scalia. He
was by my account, and no doubt
by many, the greatest jurist of our
lifetime.
Justice Scalia was a lion of liberty. He was also a man whose personal life mirrored the greatness of
his public works. He was the father
of nine children, and a husband in
a marriage that lasted fifty-six
years. Justice Scalia guided me to
the church where I met my wife,
Jaime. His son, Father Paul Scalia,
married us. Through his family,
writings and opinions, Justice
Scalia shaped countless lives. His
life served as a reminder that one
could be profoundly committed to
both one’s country and one’s family.
JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA
Few carried more responsibilities or had more demands on their
schedule than Justice Scalia. Yet he
took the time to visit Nevada to attend our Red Mass and to fly fish
on our rivers and lakes. He always
made time for those who needed
him. He was never in a hurry, but
savored this life, while cognizant of
the life to come. He wore his greatness lightly.
I will miss him as friend and as
a mentor. I am deeply saddened for
the Scalia family, and for all of
those fortunate enough to call
Antonin Scalia a friend. We have
lost one of our greatest bulwarks
against those who would undermine
our Constitution, the rule of law and
our American way of government.
As a lifelong Catholic, Justice
Scalia was an admirer of St. Paul,
so perhaps it is best to end with him.
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul
wrote, “I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race, I have
kept the faith.” It would be hard to
better describe Justice Scalia.
Feeley. Wanda Feeley was misappropriating Trust funds regularly
within the State of Nevada, which
was an illegal act and breach of
Trust.
When Judge Allan Earl submitted a “Findings of Fact” he stated
that the most important action left
to do would be to award attorney
fees to all attorneys. Wanda Feeley
had stolen most all of the money
held in the Trust that she had transferred from New Hampshire to her
bank in Nevada.
Judge Earl included in his “Findings” a clause stating that real property held in another Trust in New
Hampshire be sold to cover the legal fees incurred by Wanda Feeley,
the non-prevailing party.
Judge Allan Earl would be violating the U.S. Constitution, Trust
Law, and ignoring a U.S. Supreme
Court binding precedent to make
such a ruling. He lacked subject
matter jurisdiction. A State Court
cannot enter an Order dictating the
sale of Trust property located in
another state, that principle has
been the law of the land since early
1800. This Order violates the U.S.
Constitution and is therefore void.
To protect the corpus of the New
Hampshire Trust from void orders
emanating from Judge Earl, Clark
Feeley obtained a Cashier’s Check
from People’s United Bank headquartered in Connecticut.
Judge Earl’s agenda was to pay
the Nevada lawyers. He perpetrated
a scheme to induce People’s United
Bank to stop payment on the
Cashier’s Check that Clark Feeley
was holding to purchase another
home for the Trust.
The bank informed the Nevada
Court that they could not stop payment on a Cashier’s Check unless
the check had been lost, destroyed,
or stolen.
To meet his agenda Judge Earl
signed an Order approving an
agreement that stated through an
affidavit that the Cashier’s Check
had been lost, destroyed, or stolen.
This was bank fraud under 18
U.S.C. 1344, a serious felony committed under the color of law by a
Nevada District Court Judge.
The above crime was committed against a victim that had filed a
case in Judge Earl’s Court looking
for justice. What this victim obtained was a crime committed by
the Court for the sole purpose of
stealing Trust funds to pay lawyers
practicing in Judge Earl’s Court.
Clark Feeley gave the Nevada
Supreme Court an opportunity to
uphold the U.S. Constitution and
rule by the law of the land. The
Court transferred the case to the
new Appellate Court which has just
affirmed Judge Earl’s void Orders
that are not constitutional.
Now the State of Nevada has a
very serious problem. Judge Allan
Earl violated proper court procedures by dictating that a Trustee he
appointed distribute funds illegally
obtained from an out-of-state bank.
The Judge committed bank fraud.
The money was illegal money
and should never have been distributed. The Judge broke procedures
by not entering the Order with the
Court. That prevented the Plaintiff
from appealing the illegal order.
That action has resulted in money
being disbursed that will need to be
recovered and returned to the bank.
Feeley
By Thomas Mitchell
The death of Justice Antonin Scalia has ignited a
political firestorm over how and when and who should
be appointed to replace this irreplaceable conservative legal scholar. There has also been a torrent of articles about the man’s legacy. The Wall Street Journal
alone has a dozen pieces recounting his effluence on
the law and his “greatest hits.”
The one thing he should most be remembered for,
perhaps, is his ardent defense of the First Amendment.
In July 2002 I wrote a column for the Las Vegas
newspaper under the headline: “How do you solve a
problem like Scalia?” It has long since disappeared
from the ether.
The headline was lifted from a lyric by a liberal/
satirical Washington, D.C.-based singing and dancing
group who called themselves the Capitol Steps. It, of
course, is a parody of the “Sound of Music” song about
Maria.
The ditty includes these lines:
How do you solve a problem like Scalia?
How do you fix the mess Scalia made?
How do you find a legal panacea?
If he doesn’t go, we’ll overturn Roe v. Wade
Oh, maybe now Bush owes Antonin a favor
Maybe our reputation isn’t sound
Remember when they’d report
Scalia
Democrats, including Senate
Minority Leader Harry Reid (DNev.), called on the GOP-controlled
Senate to consider an Obama nominee.
Said Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Patrick Leahy
(D-Vt.), “The American people deserve to have a fully functioning
Supreme Court.”
“The Supreme Court of the
United States is too important to our
democracy for it to be understaffed
for partisan reasons,” he said. “It is
only February. The president and
the Senate should get to work without delay to nominate, consider and
confirm the next justice to serve on
the Supreme Court.”
Replacing Scalia with a liberal
justice could change the balance of
the court under Chief Justice John
Roberts, and would mean the election of the president could immediately determine the direction of
the Supreme Court.
According to The National Review, it has been 80 years since a
Supreme Court justice was confirmed in an election year to a vacancy that arose that year.
The Supreme Court is also likely
to be a huge issue in November’s
race for the Senate majority. Individual senators running for reelection can be expected to see the
court’s makeup become a top issue
in their campaigns.
Democrats need to gain five
seats, or four seats if they retain the
White House, to win back a Senate
majority.
Republicans are defending several seats in states favorable to
Democratic presidential candidates,
including Wisconsin, Illinois and
JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA
The president picks the court
It’s gotten to be the other way around
My column’s solution to the problem was: cloning,
because there aren’t enough like him on the court.
The specific topic was the court’s ruling and Scalia’s
5-4 majority opinion in the case of Republican Party
of Minnesota v. White, which had been handed down
a couple of weeks earlier.
It upheld the free speech rights of state judicial candidates. A number of states, including Nevada, had laws
on the books that basically gagged elected judges from
speaking out about matters they might someday have
to rule on.
(See Scalia Problem, Page 6)
Pennsylvania. They are also defending seats in Florida, New
Hampshire and Ohio, which were
won in 2008 and 2012 by Obama.
A fight over the Senate filibuster is likely if the decision on
Scalia’s successor is punted to
2017. Sixty votes would be necessary to break a filibuster and confirm a Supreme Court justice.
Democrats used the “nuclear
option” to change the Senate rules
for most nominations so that only a
majority vote was needed. But that
did not apply to Supreme Court
nominees.
Scalia’s death comes on the day
of the latest GOP presidential debate, the last time the candidates are
set to meet before their Feb. 20
South Carolina primary. GOP candidates were quick to put out statements lauding Scalia, who has been
a leading figure in the conservative
movement for decades.
Two local news outlets first reported the news of Scalia’s death,
which the San Antonio News and
KVIA said was from natural causes.
Roberts in a statement on behalf
of all of the current and retired justices confirmed the news.
“I am saddened to report that our
colleague Antonin Scalia has
passed away,” he wrote. “He was
an extraordinary individual and jurist, admired and treasured by his
colleagues. His passing is a great
loss to the Court and the country
he so loyally served. We extend our
deepest condolences to his wife
Maureen and his family.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) released a statement calling the conservative justice an “unwavering
defender” of the Constitution.
“He was the solid rock who
turned away so many attempts to
depart from and distort the Constitution,” Abbott wrote. “His fierce
loyalty to the Constitution set an
unmatched example, not just for
judges and lawyers, but for all
Americans.”
Scalia, born in Trenton, N.J., and
raised in Queens, N.Y., was nominated by Ronald Reagan in 1986
after serving on the D.C. Circuit
Court.
He was a proponent of
“originalism,” the legal philosophy
that held that the meaning of the
Constitution should be interpreted
as it was first written and not subject to contemporary views.
Scalia was also known for the
colorful opinions he issued. In a
dissent in King v. Burwell, the landmark healthcare case that upheld
the Affordable Care Act, he referred
to the majority’s reasoning as “pure
applesauce” and “jiggery-pokery.”
But he also had a history of making controversial comments. When
the court heard oral arguments last
year for a case on the University of
Texas’s affirmative action program,
Scalia seemed to question the idea
of letting black students into selective colleges.
“There are those who contend
that it does not benefit AfricanAmericans to get them into the
University of Texas where they do
not do well, as opposed to having
them go to a less-advanced school,
a slower-track school where they do
well,” Scalia said, referring to a
brief filed in the case.
And during a speech to
Georgetown law students last year,
he suggested that gay rights could
be extended to child molesters.
Judge Catherine Ramsey
running for District Court
in Department 20
By Rolando Larraz
Las Vegas Tribune
The story began when a female
judge in North Las Vegas Municipal Court came forward to defend
the court from greedy city officials
led by the North Las Vegas Mayor
and a few of his puppets.
The mayor, John Lee, wants to
place the court’s legally earned
money in the city’s general account,
leaving the court money-less, but
Judge Catherine Ramsey fought
city hall and lost when the Mayor
took the money that the court had
collected from fines and other venues that was earmarked to buy a
new computer system.
Major Lee, with the help of political pimp Dave Thomas and his
city attorney, Sandra Morgan,
started a recall campaign to take
Judge Ramsey off the bench.
Judge Ramsey hired well known
Las Vegas attorney Craig Muller to
represent her and her day in court
came in the form of Thomas-controlled judge, Eric Johnson, AKA
Louis Johnson, the husband of another Thomas-controlled judge,
Susan Johnson.
As was expected, Judge Ramsey
lost the fight when the male Judge
Johnson ruled against Judge
Ramsey, most likely under pressure
by the female Judge Johnson and
the Johnson’s campaign manager,
Dave Thomas.
The government is known for
being right all the time; it cannot
lose — and how dare anyone try to
prove it to be wrong, ever!
When anyone tries to prove the
government wrong, they are accused of being troublemakers,
(See Ramsey, Page 6)
backfired by finding substantial
evidence Ms. Lobato didn’t commit Bailey’s homicide.
Diann Parker lived 100 yards
from the crime scene; she had reported being brutally beaten and
raped by Bailey on July 1, 2001,
and she was at the scene of Bailey’s
homicide on the morning of July 9
while Metro officers were still investigating. The detectives informally questioned Parker on the 9th,
but they didn’t take a statement or
collect any evidence from her. On
July 23 the detectives obtained a
statement from Parker at her apartment. She admitted that on the
morning of July 9 *she had a bloody
shirt and pants* that she had since
washed — but she *forgot* to tell
the detectives about her bloody
clothes on the 9th. After Parker’s
disclosure the detectives made no
effort to collect any evidence — not
even her shirt and pants that may
have still had traces of blood that
could be tested to determine if it
was Bailey’s — and they didn’t re-
port her as a suspect.
On the afternoon of the 23rd the
detectives also interviewed the first
of eight witnesses who described an
incident Ms. Lobato began talking
about in late May 2001. She told
the witnesses that in escaping from
a would-be rapist in Las Vegas she
used her pocket knife to try and cut
his penis. None of the witnesses
said they were told her assailant was
killed. The eight witnesses are not
related to Ms. Lobato, and she told
each of them about the incident
prior to July 8.
Yet, after the detectives belated
investigation discovered compelling evidence they had arrested the
wrong person, the DA’s Office
didn’t dismiss the charges against
Ms. Lobato. The DA’s Office went
forward with her prosecution even
after the exculpatory witness accounts were corroborated by tests
of crime scene evidence that were
negative for Ms. Lobato’s DNA,
fingerprints, shoeprints, and car tire
treads. Furthermore, the Metro
crime lab found none of Bailey’s
Kirstin Lobato
Sundays from 12.30 to 2 p.m.
Please call 702-706-6875 for information
and directions to the study group
Channel 5 and Cyndi Lundeberg
definately earned our respect
Las Vegas Tribune Staff
For those watching the Channel 5 newscast it was a
horrendous story that many assume must be unreal,
but for us in the media, the segment on the 14-yearold case of Kirstin Lobato looked like a successful report by Cyndi Lundeberg exposing one of the most
tragic injustices of many that occur year after year that
so few local working journalists are able to take the
time to expose, and those who may be courageous
enough to try to bring the case to life are stopped by
their superiors.
In order to assimilate the Kirstin Lobato story, readers should go to local Fox News Channel 5 to watch
this video, and we believe that everyone who lives in
Las Vegas, especially those with young adult children,
should watch.
Our position today is just to congratulate the Channel 5 reporter for a job well done in exposing what the
Las Vegas Tribune newspaper has been exposing and
writing about for the last 19 years of this newspaper’s
existence.
We would also like to show our respect and admiration to the management of Channel 5 News for allowing reporter Cyndi Lundeberg to take that assignment; Channel 5 has many good reporters, but the excellent job Cyndi did exposing the corruption in Clark
County courts is second to none.
Las Vegas Tribune has repeatedly pointed out that
many of the Las Vegas Police Department officers go
to court on a daily basis and commit perjury, judges
cowardly summit to prosecutors wishes and commands
on a daily basis because if they do not, the next time
they face each other “they can make my life miserable,” according to one local attorney that spoke on
condition of anonymity.
It is sad to see the life of a young woman being
destroyed by a racist and discriminatory judge, Valerie
Vega, and a cold-blooded zealous prosecutor like William Kephart, willing to do anything to advance his
career as a judge, denying all right to a fair trial to a
defendant that could have proven her innocence if the
judge would have allowed the jury to learn that she
was not in Las Vegas the day the crime was committed
and the prosecutor would have allowed the defense to
present a DNA test.
In November 2014, the Las Vegas Tribune published
a front page article penned by Hans Sherrer, in which
the writer exposed an Assistant District Attorney of
lying to the Nevada Supreme Court by explaining that
blood in her car, on her shoes, or
any personal item.
During Ms. Lobato’s 2006 trial
Judge Valerie Vega didn’t allow the
jury to hear any witness describe
being told by Ms. Lobato that the
attempted rape occurred weeks
prior to Bailey’s homicide, and
there was no testimony about
Parker’s bloody clothing. The prosecution did not introduce any physical, forensic, eyewitness, or confession evidence that Ms. Lobato was
at the crime scene, or even in Las
Vegas on the day of Bailey’s homicide.
Ms. Lobato’s asserts in her “habeas” petition that Thowsen committed wholesale perjury during her
trial to help the DA overcome the
absence of incriminating evidence,
and create the impression for the
jury she wasn’t truthful in her state-
CYNDI LUNDEBERG
“A minimum-wage convenience store clerk who lies
under oath in court can be convicted of perjury and
sentenced to prison. In contrast, a highly-paid lawyer
can fearlessly lie his or her head off when publicly
appearing before the Nevada Supreme Court.”
We know that because of what occurred during oral
arguments before the full Nevada Supreme Court on
September 9, 2014 concerning Kirstin Blaise Lobato’s
Habeas Corpus appeal. The attorney representing the
State of Nevada — Clark County Assistant District Attorney Steven S. Owens — repeatedly lied about issues related to Ms. Lobato’s case. The Supreme Court’s
response has been deafening silence.
When we see brave journalists, assignment editors,
editor or newsroom managers supporting the efforts
of their reporters to expose corruption, judicial or police abuse, we have to take our hat off to them and say
out loud: Congratulations!!!!
Congratulations to Channel 5, and congratulations
to Cyndi Lundeberg for a job well done, exposing the
lack of justice, truthfulness and fairness in our court
system, all in the name of justice.
ment. She asserts Thowsen fabricated testimony about at least four
investigations related to her case
that he didn’t conduct.
Ms. Lobato’s “habeas” petition
states: “Under the principle of
“falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus”
(“false in one thing, false in everything”) everything that Thowsen
testified to that is not corroborated
by independent evidence should be
disregarded as inherently untrustworthy.” (NSC, No. 58913, 6 App.
1275)
During the retrial Ms. Lobato
seeks, a jury would be able to assess Thowsen’s credibility when his
testimony is subjected to withering
cross-examination. The jury would
also be able to assess evidence by
more than two-dozen witnesses
supporting Ms. Lobato’s actual
innocence, that her jury in 2006
didn’t hear.
After current District Attorney
Steven Wolfson took office he
doubled down on the previous DA’s
policy of unrelenting opposing
Kirstin Lobato’s efforts to be
granted a new trial for crimes the
DA’s Office and Metro PD have
known since July 2001 she didn’t
commit.
In spite of the wrong person being arrested, charged, and convicted
of Bailey’s homicide, Ms. Lobato
remains imprisoned at FMWCC
serving a 13 to 35 year sentence.
*****
Hans Sherrer is President of the
Justice Institute based in Seattle,
Washington that conducted a postconviction investigation of Ms.
Lobato’s case, and promotes awareness of wrongful convictions. Its
website is, www.justicedenied.org.
CALL NOW 1-800-413-0174
If it is the law, show us the law
By Rolando Larraz
Las Vegas Tribune
There are many laws in Nevada
that may sound ridiculous, old-fashioned or incredibly stupid, but we
cannot find one that clearly says
that one has to take their shoes off
to enter the courthouse.
In fact, if that was a law on the
books of Nevada, the Federal
Courthouse would be enforcing it
strictly the same way that they ask
to see a photo ID in order for one to
enter the building, even if the
“photo ID” could be a “funny” one.
There’s the story of a member
of the Las Vegas Tribune editorial
team who made a “mistake” when
asked to show a photo ID; the renta-cop at the door of the Federal
Courthouse did not specify what
type of ID, but simply a photo ID,
and the person showed his media
pass issued by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
At that time, the guard — having the same nasty attitude that most
of those rent-a-cops display while
exercising their $10-an-hour-job
authority — told the reporter,
“Com’ on! Show me something
real!” to which the Las Vegas Tribune representative responded, “I
apologize. I thought you asked me
for a photo ID, not the specific ID
of your pleasure; here is one I just
bought last week at the swap meet
for $80.00. I did not realize that
your dislike for Metro is so bad that
you choose a possible fake ID instead of a Metro-issued ID.”
The frustration of those rent-acops for not being able to become
police officers is so obvious that
they take their frustration out on
those who visit the courthouse.
There are many strange and ridiculous laws in Nevada, but forcing small business to go through
getting two business licenses when
sometimes the small business cannot even afford one is another way
to steal money from small busi-
From The Desk
basis for these 10 individual arrests,
each with multiple federal charges,
allegedly originating with the intentional obstruction, and delay of federal agents (BLM) to perform their
duty. It is kind of interesting to note
that Cliven Bundy is charged with
six (6) federal charges. It is still
unclear if some of these charges are
associated in any way with the actions of his sons, Ammon and Ryan,
in Burns, Oregon and the occupation of the empty Wildlife Refuge
building, since early January 2016.
If I had to guess, all these federal charges against these 10 individuals are merely a smoke screen
by the Feds to get away from the
real issue here. This main issue is a
protest against the federal government in its agenda to push out cattle
ranchers and anyone else off of
State public lands, in order to
achieve an unconstitutional, unholy
and unlawful political objective of
land dominance. (See Article 1, section 8, clause 17) i.e. Federal restriction on ownership of property.
The tactics that are being used
against the patriotic protesters are
pretty much standard practice when
it comes to the FBI and the Justice
department. In my 39 years of law
enforcement service, I have had
numerous occasions to work directly with FBI, BATF, and Secret
Service agents. I became privy to
some of the policies, rules, and procedures that these agencies adhere
to and utilize on a regular basis.
The way federal laws are structured is that if you allegedly violate one federal law, then you could
be subjected to and charged with
numerous other related federal
laws, which would only be limited
by the imagination of the prosecutor in the Justice Dept. I believe the
term is “Stacking Charges,” created
so that the defendant is advised that
he/she could be facing a hundred
years of federal incarceration, unless they cooperate and cave in to
whatever end looks best for the
feds.
Another interesting note on how
the feds operate in an “at will” environment is that when a person is
first accepted into the FBI, he/she
signs two documents, one is their
employment acceptance papers,
and the other is their resignation
papers minus the date. The annual
lie detector test which asks multiple
questions like “Have you committed a crime, or do you have knowledge of someone else committing
a crime, or do you have knowledge
of a crime that was not reported,”
makes employees afraid to take any
individual action without the expressed approval of the Justice Department.
Thus, this brings us to a very
important point regarding the ac-
AJ Maimbourg/Ed Klapproth, Co-Founders
Please join us in our national wave to bring God
back into our country! Our mission is to recruit State
leaders across the country to lead in vetting every
single federal, state, county and city candidate running
for office in 2016... We will then choose the ones we
at the Christian Crusade will endorse and publicize
nationally. We have allowed God to be removed far
too long now and it is time to pick up the “banner”
and bring Him back in a concentrated effort to restore
His word and code.
Please visit our website and review all the
categories. The volunteer section will allow you to do
just that, as well as we will post the State National
Directors in that section as we recruit them. The
website still has some construction to do, but, we are
nearly there.
If you have a desire to be a Contributor of articles,
please contact me and let me know.
www.thechristiancrusade.com
Also, please join our Facebook group
if you are on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/
1634723793433487/
YOUR PRAYERS AND DONATIONS
ARE APPRECIATED!!!
CONTACT EMAIL: [email protected]
nesses and those who want to live
the American Dream of owning
their own business, but there is no
law for anyone to point out when
you ask the business licensing personnel where to find that law; they
simply cannot answer or point out
the law.
Among some of those laws are
those in Nevada that are so old that
not even government officials are
aware of them. Here are some of
those laws:
—Sex without a condom is considered illegal.
—In Elko, everyone walking the
streets is required to wear a mask.
—In Eureka, men who have
mustaches are forbidden from kissing women.
—In Las Vegas, it is against the
law to pawn your dentures.
—In Nyala, a man is forbidden
from buying drinks for more than
three people other than himself at
one period during the day.
But these laws are on the books
still and anyone can find and point
to them at any given time, but everyone takes these so-called laws
for granted and no one questions
them.
It is a fact that arguing with cops,
a marshal, or even those rent-a-cops
at the courthouse is a losing proposition because even if others feel
that a person is right they cannot
afford to take sides with an outsider
and face retaliation from their coworkers.
Las Vegas Tribune has been very
proud of the marshals at the Courthouse for years, and believes that
with a few exceptions of some new
to the job, the newspaper has commended the job done by those men
and women in uniform at the courthouse, who are far different that the
marshals at the Family Court.
While the marshals at the Regional Justice Center have the intelligence to realize that not all
people walking into the building are
criminals, even if they are accused
of a crime, it may be their first time
in court and they may be nervous
or perhaps scared; the marshals at
the Regional Justice Center know
that some people go to the courthouse as a witness, as a victim, or
just to give someone moral support.
Most of them, as former police officers from other jurisdictions, have
experience and the ability to read
other people’s minds and treat everyone with respect and professionalism second to none, without lowering their guard when it comes to
(See Justice Center, Page 7)
tions of the FBI against Patriot Occupier Robert LaVoy Finicum,
whereby LaVoy was ambushed and
murdered by federal agents, and
State and Local Law Enforcement
Officers, during a traffic stop in
Burns, Oregon on January 26, 2016
while enroute, in a vehicle in
Harney County, to an arranged
town hall meeting in a neighboring
county. It is still unclear why federal agents needed to set up a roadblock to arrest LaVoy and his passengers for unknown federal
charges, which ultimately resulted
in LaVoy being unlawfully shot and
killed, allegedly by a State Trooper.
Of course the FBI, Justice Dept.,
State and Local Law Enforcement
are all complicit in this egregious
act, but the “in-charge FBI” should
be the ones to wear and own this
obvious unwarranted excessive
force situation. It will be interesting to see how proper the true investigation of this murder will be
presented.
I am very surprised that the FBI
would engage in a “probable cause
arrest” since typically they do not
make this type of arrest. The FBI
makes warrant arrests, they serve
warrants signed by judges, mainly
to avoid ever being sued for False
Arrest. Generally the state and local street cops make “probable
cause” arrests all the time, and usually if there is a Fed in the mix, the
Feds let the local and state police
make the probable cause arrest and
then the FBI moves in and immediately take over the suspect and the
entire case.
Since everybody is now incarcerated and held without bail, at
least so far anyway, it is now imperative that honorable and trustworthy legal representation be retained by the defendants. This honorable and trustworthy legal representation must be highly educated
in Constitutional Law, so that not
only will all the defendants be eventually exonerated of all charges, but
so that the real issue of “Public
Lands” vs “Federal Lands” and who
owns what, and the operation and
legality of the BLM, can finally be
settled clearly and openly for all to
see.
I pray to God nobody else is
murdered in this alleged illegal long
term unsavory government land
grab, “Federal malicious persecu-
tion,” and “Federal Judicial Misconduct” activity. For those who
like to do research, check out the
number of these types of incidents
that have occurred and not reported
by mainstream news media; you
would be shocked.
Remember to Keep Your Gun,
Keep Your Faith, and they can Keep
their Change.
In God We Trust
Gordon Martines is a former
LVMPD detective who has served
in many capacities over his 39-year
career in law enforcement. He was
a candidate for sheriff in 2002,
2006, 2010 and 2014, with the intention of bringing integrity and accountability back to the department, and filed a federal lawsuit
against LVMPD in 2011. Martines
has appeared on “Face The Tribune” radio show several times
and is currently the host of “Open
Mic” on Tuesdays and Thursday at
11:00 a.m. He contributes his opinions and ideas to the Las Vegas Tribune to keep the public informed
and help improve policing in Las
Vegas. Gordon Martines can be
contacted
via
email
at
[email protected].
The wrath of Democrats... continued
By Thomas Mitchell
Fraudulently manipulate waiting
lists, leaving ailing veterans to die?
Get a promotion.
Investigate conservative groups
seeking tax exemptions? Ho hum.
Jeopardize national security and
the lives of overseas operatives by
flagrantly using an unsecured email
server? Run for president.
Actually do your job and try to
block a powerful Washington senator from bending the law to benefit
his family and cronies? Get fired,
smeared and offered a bribe to keep
quiet.
The Daily Caller reports that a
Department of Homeland Security
agent who tried to block the government handing out green cards to
foreign investors with questionable
backgrounds — including some
who invested in a Las Vegas hotel
and casino with ties to Rory Reid,
son of Sen. Harry Reid — has been
fired, but she refused to accept a
$100,000 severance payment that
was conditional on her signing a
non-disclosure agreement.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent Taylor
Johnson told Congress this past
year that she found gross mismanagement and possible corruption in
a program that hands out U.S. visas to foreigners who invest at least
$500,000 in American companies.
She described the abuse as a threat
to public safety.
She also said her investigation
was shut down and her firearm and
credentials confiscated.
A Daily Caller reporter says an
ICE press secretary approached him
with what she claimed to be confidential information showing
said, “Despite the fact that these
applications were ineligible for appeal, Senator Reid’s efforts to lobby
USCIS resulted in the reconsideration and approval of those applications... Even more troublesome is
the fact that Senator Reid’s son,
Rory Reid, and his law firm, Lionel,
Sawyer & Collins P.C., are legal
counsel to the SLS Hotel and Casino.”
The Senate Code of Official
Conduct prohibits members from
acting on matters that in which they
have “a political, personal, or financial interest.”
Johnson testified that EB-5 visas were approved in as little 16
days and without “lacked basic necessary law enforcement” screening.
ABC News, in its own investigation, found foreign visa applicants were approved despite “allegations of fraud, money laundering,
forgery, and other crimes against
them.”
ICE Agent Taylor Johnson testifies before Congress.
Johnson was dishonest in an effort was filed, the Senate voted to con- investors. The Washington Times
to smear the soon-to-be former firm the nomination of Alejandro reported that Federal Election Comemployee. Of course, now those Mayorkas to become the second in mission records show executives
officials are mum because it is a per- command at the Department of for two companies involved in the
sonnel matter.
Homeland Security. He was the one hotel project had made $127,000 in
As for Reid’s involvement, in who granted the visas after person- political donations over the previDecember 2013 Cause of Action, a ally talking to Reid. The vote was ous three elections, mostly to
group that says it advocates for gov- 54-41. Had Reid not just nuked the Democrats.
ernment accountability, filed an eth- Senate rules of filibuster the nomiThe Cause of Action complaint
ics complaint against Reid. The nation would have failed to achieve
complaint has been ignored.
the previously required 60 votes.
The complaint accused Reid of
Mayorkas was confirmed deusing his influence to overturn despite the fact he was under investi(Continued from Page 3)
cisions by ICE that denied visas to gation at the time for expediting
Nevada had fined two judges for answering a radio host’s question
foreigners who planned to lend fi- certain visa applications for certain
about
their political party affiliation.
nancial support to the renovation of applicants despite the rejection of
The
American Bar Association had a conniption fit over the ruling,
the Sahara Hotel, the now renamed those visas by career staffers.
saying
it
would turn judicial elections into unseemly free-for-alls. Of
and reopened SLS. The agency had Among those seeking foreign incourse,
the
Bar didn’t and doesn’t think voters are smart enough to
turned down the SLS investor visa vestors were Virginia Gov. Terry
elect
judges.
applications due to “suspicious fi- McAuliffe and the brother of
Scalia quoted an earlier dissent by Justice Thurgood Marshall: “[T]he
nancial activity.” The decision was former Secretary of State Hillary
greater
power to dispense with elections altogether does not include
ineligible for appeal.
Clinton, Anthony Rodham.
the
lesser
power to conduct elections under conditions of state-imOne official reported getting into
Reid had made a personal call
posed
voter
ignorance. If the State chooses to tap the energy and the
a shouting match with a Reid staffer to Mayorkas, according to the
legitimizing
power of the democratic process, it must accord the parover the denial of those visas.
Washington Times, who promised
ticipants
in
that
process... the First Amendment rights that attach to
But that Cause of Action com- him his agency would take a “fresh
their
roles.”
plaint was filed before all the chips look” at the SLS visa request. Soon
Scalia went on to reason: “Moreover, the notion that the special
were on the table.
after that the agency expedited vicontext
of electioneering justifies an abridgment of the right to speak
Four days after that complaint sas for about two dozen foreign SLS
out on disputed issues sets our First Amendment jurisprudence on its
head. ‘[D]ebate on the qualifications of candidates’ is ‘at the core of
our electoral process and of the First Amendment freedoms,’ not at the
edges... ‘The role that elected officials play in our society makes it all
only court knowledge is that of being married to a Disthe more imperative that they be allowed freely to express themselves
crazy, carrying a vendetta, doing it for personal rea- trict Court Judge, Susan Johnson.
on matters of current public importance.’ ... ‘It is simply not the funcsons, or, as happens in many instances with the Las
North Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge Catherine
tion of government to select which issues are worth discussing or deVegas Tribune, of being anti-government, anti-police Ramsey was elected to the bench in 2011. A year and a
bating in the course of a political campaign.’ ...We have never allowed
or radical.
half after being sworn in, the new administration, unthe government to prohibit candidates from communicating relevant
But what happens when those fighting City Hall der the new mayor, has created a dictatorial regime.
information to voters during an election.”
are the same people that were elected to balance jusJudge Ramsey’s supporters hope that the voters in
Of course, such matters are never truly settled and judges find ways
tice, making sure that everyone is treated equally un- Clark County are able to recognize the independence
to dance around those “edges.”
der the law?
of Ramsey that is not controlled by anyone but the law
Just a couple of weeks ago the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
What happens when those speaking up and retali- that she follows to the “T” and elect her to Department
sitting en banc managed to uphold an Arizona law that limits judges’
ating against a dictatorial local government are in that 20 in the Eighth Judicial District Court.
right to free speech about judicial elections.
local government? What if those punching back wore
In a telephone interview, Judge Ramsey told the Las
One of the judges supporting this free speech restriction was
the respectful black robe and were elected to office by Vegas Tribune that she expects the voters in Clark
Nevada’s own Johnnie B. Rawlinson, who was appointed to the court
the public, the citizens, and the voters?
County to recognize her independence and her desire
by Bill Clinton at the urging of Sen. Harry Reid.
A group of North Las Vegas concerned citizens has to serve the people of Clark County.
A story in Tuesday’s Review-Journal quotes a law professor as saycome forward to defend and protect a judge that is
“I believe that judges should not be in the political
ing Reid had once touted Rawlinson as a potential candidate for the
fighting the bullies in city hall — led by a mayor and business; we are in the justice business and follow the
Supreme Court.
his terrified followers — and they now also have to law business and we need to keep that in mind every
Not exactly someone who could fill Scalia’s shoes.
contend with a corrupted campaign controller from Las day when we sit on the bench,” Judge Ramsey stated.
Vegas, Dave Thomas, who is giving the bench a bad
This race is expected to be a very nasty race due to
name.
the fact that Dave Thomas is the campaign manager
Most of the time a judge is criticized for putting for both of the Johnson judges, and the people of Clark
people behind bars for “unjustifiable” reasons or when County are aware how dirty Thomas likes to run the
they have not been proven guilty beyond a reasonable campaigns for his controlled candidates.
doubt. But now this group of North Las Vegas citiEven those judges who are not in a race are afraid
zens is siding with one of two North Las Vegas Mu- of Dave Thomas’ obvious retaliation against anyone
nicipal Court judges, defending her from “the city hall who dares to run against his clients or make comments
bullies” to protect her job against a recall petition led against him or his modus operandi.
by infamous campaign instigator and controller, Dave
Las Vegas Tribune has learned that Dave Thomas’
Thomas, from the neighboring city of Las Vegas.
wife, District Court Judge Nancy Alf, in Department
Now Judge Ramsey is running for District Court 27, keeps her eyes open and her ears alert in case any
Department 20, presently occupied by a former fed- of her coworkers in the courthouse say anything about
eral prosecutor with no state law experience and his her husband.
Ramsey
Scalia Problem
PUC Ruling
monopoly market.
I’ve explained it before to no
avail.
On Friday the PUC voted unanimously to slash net-metering rates
and treble connection fees for all
solar panel owners, including those
who bought and paid for them under promises that they could get a
return on their investments. Suckers!
According to Investor’s Business Daily’s front page article today Sunrun executives were already
planning to file suit.
“Fully 89 percent of Nevadans
believe that the Public Utilities
Commission made the wrong decision when it ended net-metering,
refused to grandfather existing solar customers at their current rates
and destroyed one of the fastestgrowing solar sectors in the country,” a solar executive told IBD via
email.
As noted here before too, the
PUC did stretch out the implementation over 12 years instead of four.
Gov. Brian Sandoval, who appoints the PUC members, put out a
handwringing statement bemoaning the decision, but failed to indicate he would do a damned thing
about it.
“While I have respected the
Commission and its deliberations
by not influencing its process, the
PUC did not reach the outcome I
had hoped for. I remained optimistic that the Commission would find
a solution that considered the economic consequences to existing
rooftop solar owners. Today’s decision does not go far enough to
protect their interests.
“Renewable energy development in Nevada is a priority for me
and an important and evolving issue. I remain committed to providing a path for Nevada to continue
to explore the potential of our vast
renewable energy portfolio while
ensuring Nevada has an equitable
system that balances energy policy
with just and reasonable utility
rates. There is no greater friend to
the solar industry than my Administration. In 2011, I signed legislation enacting policies to stand up
the rooftop solar market. In 2013, I
approved another measure that
doubled the net metering cap. In
2015, I signed into law a bill that
again changed the net metering cap
and transferred oversight of this
complex issue to the PUC. The
2015 legislation received public
support from the rooftop solar industry and many other interested
parties. When I signed these bills,
it was my belief that the utility rates
should remain constant for
homeowners who installed rooftop
solar systems on their homes.
“The 2015 legislation was approved by a 41-1 vote in the Nevada Assembly and a unanimous
vote in the Nevada Senate. I am
aware that many of our state legislators share my concern about
today’s decision and I am hopeful
that the Legislative Committee on
Energy as well as the New Energy
Task Force will bring forward
thoughtful recommendations to ensure that Nevada has a stable energy policy that allows renewable
energy in Nevada to continue to
thrive.”
And PUC just made all that
moot. Solar panel installers are
leaving the state and laying off
thousands of workers, after being
enticed to come to Nevada with taxpayer money.
The Las Vegas Sun online
quoted a 7-year-old girl who testified before the PUC Friday about
her father being laid off at
SolarCity.
“I’m speaking for all kids and
the future of solar. Solar is our
future,”Marilynn Dudley said to the
commission. “My dad and a lot of
other people lost their job’s because
INJURED IN AN
AUTO ACCIDENT?
You have the right to choose
your own attorney.
What the attorney doesn’t tell you
You Also Have The Right To
Choose Your Own Doctor!
Don’t Be A Victim Again!
Get 21st Century Care...Today
Nonsurgical Solutions for Neck and Back Pain
CALL FOR AN EVALUATION
702-568-8450
200 E. Horizon Dr., Suite A • Henderson, NV 89015
www.SpineJointInstitute.com
of your decision. So please PUC,
make the right decision today and
bring back solar to Nevada.”
Tough luck, kid.
The Reno newspaper quoted
PUC Commissioner David Noble
as saying in his draft order, “It appears that some small-scale (rooftop) solar vendors advertised unre-
alistic payback periods. The commission will not reward the bad
behavior of some small-scale (rooftop) solar vendors by requiring non(solar) ratepayers to subsidize (solar) ratepayers for longer than is
necessary.”
The paper reported that regulators said it is unfair for 98 percent
of utility customers to bear costs for
the 2 percent who have solar systems. Just how do they do that?
Never explained.
The Review-Journal quoted a
solar company employee as saying,
“It’s like playing poker and then
changing the cards after the hand’s
been dealt.”
doing their job well.
Las Vegas Tribune has been covering the courthouse for more than
eighteen years and never has had a
problem with the marshals at the
gate.
Once in a great while some marshals working directly for the
judges take personally any criticism
that the newspaper may have written about the judge they work for
and sometime they take the judge’s
“fight” on for themselves, and even
if they always had a decent relationship with this newspaper, they become the enemy of reporters or
writers that write about “MY”
judges as they often refer to the
judges they work for, as though that
judge is their own property.
Last week one Las Vegas Tribune official had a confrontation
with one of those “rent-a-cops at the
Regional Justice Center when the
reporter refused to walk without
shoes on the dirty floor.
The newspaper has written about
this same issue a few times before
because women have the advantage
of being able to wear sandals and
do not have to take their shoes off
(even if they may have an invisible
explosive device in the strings of
their sandals), but men are forced
to walk barefoot on the dirty floor
of the courthouse.
Everyone at the Las Vegas Tribune is encouraged, and has been
told, to follow the orders of the
courthouse and to respect the marshals’ position while entering the
building, and if anything becomes
an issue, to come back to the office
and let us handle it because we feel
that it is our duty to cooperate and
show an example so others entering the Regional Justice Center already upset, do not become inflamed by one of us.
However, this courthouse renta-cop was out of line, rude, disrespectful and unprofessional because
there was no one behind the Las
Vegas Tribune member, and while
he was talking to other marshals, he
was putting his shoes on so he did
not have to walk on the dirty floor.
The rent-a-cop went above his work
duties and engaged in a war of
words with the Las Vegas Tribune
representative.
That makes us wonder: Where
is the law that says that citizens
have to take their shoes off to enter
the Regional Justice Center? Even
their counterparts at the federal
building do not ask the visitors to
take their shoes off.
Maybe we need to pursue it by
asking the city council where it’s
written that one cannot even apply
for a city business license without
a state business license.
Maybe we need to ask Sheriff
Joe Lombardo to ask the rent-acops at the federal building why a
driver’s license issued by an appointee of the governor can be a
better identification than a police
department photo ID with the signature of the elected Sheriff.
Maybe it is time to ask the court
administrator and even the Chief
Judge why they have to hire rent-acops while they have many professional marshals with law experience and many retired professional
police officers looking for a job.
Why waste that money on rent-acops? Are they paying a favor back
to some influential friend by hiring
their rent-a-cop to give the court a
bad name?
If it is a law, then show us the
law...
Justice Center
Good Luck,
Mr. Trump,
in South Carolina
and Nevada
Bernie Sanders’ Ideology!
Part one of a series
By Frank de Varona
Bear Witness Central
It is sad that the party of Thomas Jefferson is running for president a communist man and a corrupt woman who has committed
many crimes.
Bernie Sanders admires Fidel
Castro, Daniel Ortega, and Russia.
In 1985 Senator Bernie Sanders
said that the bloody dictator Fidel
Castro “educated Cuban kids and
gave them healthcare and totally
transformed the society.” That is
why Sanders wants a“political
revolution” once he is elected president, to transform the United States
into the paradise that is Cuba or
Russia!
Sanders is correct about how the
oppressive tyranny of the Castro
brothers has completely transformed Cuba. However, what he
did not say is that Cuba in 1958 was
one of the most prosperous nations
in Latin America with a high standard of living and now Cuba is one
of the most miserable nations not
only of the Americas, but also of
the world.
Outsider in
the White House
Bernie Sanders wrote in his book
that he was invited in 1985 by the
oppressive dictator Daniel Ortega
to celebrate the Seventh Anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution
in Nicaragua. Sanders wrote in his
book that he was the “highest ranking American official present” at the
celebration. He was mayor of
Burlington, Vermont and he
adopted Managua as a sister city of
his town.
Megan Apper wrote an article
titled “Sanders in 1985: Sandinista
Leader Impressive, Castro Totally
Transform Cuba” which was published in the website BuzzFeed on
June 25, 2015. She explained that
Sanders praised the Castro regime
and the Sandinista regime upon returning from a trip to South
America in 1985. The reporter explained the following:”“In an interview that aired on Channel 17/
Town Meeting Television, Sanders
called Nicaraguan President Daniel
Ortega, “an impressive guy,” and
said that while Fidel Castro wasn’t
“perfect,” Americans should not
forget that “just because Ronald
Reagan dislikes these people,
doesn’t mean that people in their
nations feel the same way.”
The dictator Fidel Castro has
destroyed Cuba and Sanders would
do the same [to America] if elected
president. Sanders implied that the
people of Cuba liked the bloody totalitarian dictators Fidel and Raúl
Castro who are responsible for
shooting more than 15,000 children, women and men, jailing over
300,000, and forcing tens of thousands to leave Cuba in rafts and
small boats with an estimated
80,000 who perished at sea trying
to reach Florida, Mexico or Central
America.
The Castro brothers have implanted the worst and longest tyranny in the Americas and one that
has lasted for 57 years. Yes, the
people of Cuba love their oppressors so much that over two million
have left their country and millions
more would like to leave if they
could!
Daniel Ortega
Upon his return to the United
States, Sanders said that he was
“impressed” with the “intelligence
and sincerity” of all Sandinista leaders, saying that they were not the
“political hacks” some had portrayed them to be. Sanders also admires the”“impressive guy” Daniel
Ortega, who raped his stepdaughter and has killed and sent to jail
thousands of Nicaraguans who
wanted to live in freedom.
Apper pointed out that Sanders
stated that he was “impressed” by
Father d’Escoto who was, at the
time, the Nicaraguan Minister of
Foreign Affairs. Sanders described
this Marxist priest as “very gentle”
and a “loving man.”
Who is the “gentle and
loving” Father d’Escoto?
Priest Miguel D’Escoto
Brockmann was Minister of Foreign Relations in the communist
Sandinista regime of Nicaragua.
Later he became president of the
General Assembly of the United
Nations. Pope John Paul II forbade
Father D’Escoto to give the sacraments of the Church for supporting
the oppressive Sandinista regime.
Pope Francis ended the punishment of this communist priest,
which had been imposed by Pope
John Paul II for refusing to abandon communist politics. His Holiness John Paul II, who after his
death was canonized, was a great
anti-communist and an enemy of
the Marxist liberation theology of
the Catholic Church. In 1984, his
Holiness Pope John Paul II punished Miguel D’Escoto for refusing
to get out of politics and did not allow him to officiate masses or offer sacraments.
It was most unfortunate that in
August 2014 Pope Francis lifted the
Church’s 29-year ban on Maryknoll
priest Miguel d’Escoto’s right to
celebrate Mass and offer sacraments. By taking this unwise action
Pope Francis sent the wrong message of tolerance and acceptance to
all the communists within the
Catholic Church. Unfortunately,
now this writer and many Catholics believe that Pope Francis sympathizes with the Marxist liberation
theology of the Church.
After the punishment was lifted
by Pope Francis, the communist
priest Miguel d’Escoto immediately
attacked the late Saint Pope John
Paul II for’“an abuse of authority.”
He also said that Fidel Castro is a
messenger of the Holy Spirit in “the
necessity of struggle” to establish
“the reign of God on this earth that
is the alternative to the empire.” The
serial assassin atheist Fidel Castro
is the messenger of the devil!
D’Escoto, age 83, belongs to the
Maryknoll Missionary Congregation, which supports the communist
liberation theology. Some
Maryknoll priests and nuns have
supported and fought with communist guerrillas. Miguel d’Escoto was
born in the United States and was
ordained in New York in 1961. He
became one of the strongest proponents of the Marxist liberation theology. He collaborated with the
National Sandinista Liberation
Front (Frente Sandinista de
Liberación Nacional).
After the coming to power of the
Sandinista dictator Daniel Ortega,
the communist priest Miguel
d’Escoto was named Minister of
Foreign Relations. When Miguel
d’Escoto became President of the
United Nations General Assembly,
he chose a communist, Howard
Zinn, as his personal assistant. Zinn
is the author of a communist textbook, A People’s History of the
United States, which is used in
many universities across the United
States by socialist professors.
Pope Francis supports the Marxist theology of liberation of the
Church. Pope Francis, similarly to
Bernie Sanders, admires the communist priest Miguel d’Escoto. He
invited d’Escoto and Marxist Peruvian priest Gustavo Gutiérrez, who
is usually regarded as the founder
of liberation theology in Latin
America, to the Vatican. Priest
Gustavo Gutiérrez wrote the book,
A Theology of Liberation: History,
Politics, Salvation (1971) and later
Gutiérrez co-authored another book
with the Marxist Cardinal Gerhard
Ludwig Miller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith. The Vatican’s semiofficial
newspaper, L’ Obsservatore
Romano, said at the time that the
liberation theology should not continue to be ignored. Rather than
continuing to not ignore it, this
writer believes that liberation theology needs to be completely eradicated since communism and the
Catholic religion are incompatible.
Our Lord Jesus Christ preached liberty from oppression and communism does the opposite.
When Pope Francis was known
as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio,
he wrote a book, Dialogues Between Pope John Paul II and Fidel
Castro (1998) (Diálogos entre Juan
Pablo II y Fidel Castro), published
in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Cardinal Bergoglio wrote in the preface
of the book that private property is
not an absolute right and he has repeated that statement often since he
became pope. Cardinal Bergoglio
also wrote that capitalism has been
the cause of much suffering and
injustices due to the evil system that
it is. Like Bernie Sanders, Pope
Francis likes Marxism and socialism as well as the Cuban bloody
regime. The Argentinean pope has
even said that the U.S. naval base
at Guantánamo should be returned
to Cuba. Is that in the Bible?
Pope Francis has denounced repeatedly the free market economy
and capitalism, and his support for
the Marxist theology of liberation
is not acceptable for it undermines
the Church. Additionally Pope
Francis meets frequently with
prominent communists from Latin
America.
One has to look at the socialist
and communist nations of Latin
America, such as Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba, whose leaders
have oppressed and enormously impoverished their people, to know
that what Pope Francis advocates
is a terrible mistake. It is obvious
that Pope Francis does not understand economics and market-oriented capitalism.
Pope Francis, similarly to Bernie
Sanders, praises Marxism and socialism, which are failed political
and economic systems that increase
poverty, class struggle, and social
conflict. Communist leaders have
An outreach
program to help
the homeless to
help themselves.
CHAPLAINSTEVENSTJOHN.COM
killed and incarcerated millions of
people around the world. Pope
Francis attended the Second World
Meeting of Popular Movements
organized by Latin American communists. They met in the city of
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
The first meeting with these Latin
American communists headed by
Evo Morales was held in the
Vatican.
Pope Francis’s speech attacked
capitalism, private property, and
free market economics in the Second World Meeting of Popular
Movements attended by communists in the city of Santa Cruz de la
Sierra, Bolivia. João Pedro Stédile
of Brazil’s Landless Workers
Movement (MST), one of the organizers of the communist Second
World Meeting of Popular Movements, speaking during the event
stated the following:’“Chavez died.
Fidel is sick. Francis has taken up
that leadership role and is doing
everything right.”
Among those communist leaders, in addition to Bolivia’s President Evo Morales, whose jacket
bore a large picture of “Che”
Guevara, was
Argentine Trotskyite Juan
Grabois, who specialized in promoting urban agitation on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, head of the
Confederation of Workers of the
Popular Economy, and member of
the organizing committee of the
Second World Meeting of Popular
Movements. On July 9, 2015, Pope
Francis delivered a long and impassioned speech against capitalism
and private property to cheering
Marxist revolutionary leaders and
followers of liberation theology.
The Argentinean Pope presided
over the meeting sitting next to
Bolivia’s communist president Evo
Morales, who came with a coat that
had the image of the bloody murderer Che Guevara.
Pope Francis told the atheist
Communists in the audience that
they shared the same faith.’To what
faith was the successor of St. Peter
referring? Pope Francis said
“Nuestra fe es revolucionaria” (Our
faith is revolutionary) and “that is
why I keep all of you in my heart.”
There’s no question that those who
were in the audience and those that
were not present are going to interpret the Pope’s speech as one supporting communism in Latin
America and throughout the world.
It is obvious that Pope Francis does
not understand economics and market-oriented capitalism.
Clintons subpoenaed in federal probe
(HORN NEWS) — It looks like
there is more trouble ahead for
Hillary Clinton’s campaign — this
time thanks to her family’s controversial foundation.
An investigation by the Washington Post has revealed that the
Clinton Foundation received a subpoena from State Department investigators in October over some
work it did during Clinton’s tenure
as Secretary of State that may have
been forbidden.
And, with the presidential nominating contest ongoing, it looks like
the State Department and the
Clintons did everything they could
to keep the news about the subpoena from going public.
The exact details of the investigation are unknown — but may not
be too difficult to piece together.
(HORN NEWS) — Republican
presidential candidate Donald
Trump had previously vowed to run
on a third-party ticket in 2016,
should he feel the Republican National Committee is giving him a
raw deal.
On Monday, Trump repeated
that threat, implying he was willing to break ranks with the GOP if
the Republican establishment continues to use what Trump alleges are
dirty tactics.
The declaration came as the
GOP race entered an increasingly
nasty phase, with numerous negative ads airing on local television
following an unusually caustic debate this past weekend.
Some of the harshest ads have
been aimed at Trump, often using
the political newcomer’s past words
to attack his current positions on
issues including abortion and gun
rights.
Trump is disliked by the Republican establishment, according to
the bombastic billionaire, and he
accused the GOP of packing its debate audiences with mainstream
donors — a move he claimed violated the loyalty pledge he signed
in September vowing to run as a
Republican and support the party’s
eventual nominee.
“I signed a pledge, but it’s a
double-edged pledge,” Trump said
at a luncheon in Mount Pleasant,
South Carolina. “The pledge isn’t
being honored by the RNC.”
Hillary Clinton signed a detailed
agreement with the State Department before she became secretary
of state in 2009. The agreement
dealt heavily with the Clintons’
work with foreign governments,
trying to eliminate conflicts of interest.
The Clinton Foundation has repeatedly come under fire for its financial ties to countries like China,
Iran and Russia. Hillary Clinton
was even accused of helping to facilitate a uranium deal that benefited Russia after donations poured
in to the Clinton Foundation.
Could the subpoena involve possible conflicts of interest regarding
relationships between the Clinton
Foundation and foreign governments during Clinton’s tenure as
secretary of state?
If so, it wouldn’t be the first time
the foundation has been scrutinized
for this. In November, the foundation was forced to file revised tax
returns for four years, including
changes that reflect millions of dollars in grants donated by foreign
governments during the years that
Clinton served as secretary of state.
According to the Washington
Post report, “the subpoena also
asked for records related to Huma
Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide
who for six months in 2012 was
employed simultaneously by the
State Department, the foundation,
Clinton’s personal office, and a private consulting firm with ties to the
Clintons.”
quirement of being a “natural-born
citizen” to serve as president. Cruz
was born in Canada to an American mother, and many legal experts
have said he meets that test.
“Ted Cruz is a totally unstable
individual. He is the single biggest
liar I’ve ever come across, in politics or otherwise, and I have seen
some of the best of them. His statements are totally untrue and com-
pletely outrageous,” Trump said in
the statement.
At events in the Charleston area
and at a rally in Greenville, Trump
piled on, slamming Cruz as “the
most dishonest guy I think I’ve ever
met in politics, “nuts” and a “basket case.” He also questioned
Cruz’s faith.
“He goes around saying he’s a
Christian. I don’t know, you’re going to have to really study that,”
Trump said at a freewheeling news
conference.
Laurens
resident
Tom
Kennemore, who attended Trump’s
evening rally in Greenville, said he
grows uneasy when Trump starts
tearing into fellow Republicans.
But he also appreciates Trump’s
willingness to tell the truth no matter what.
“I’m done with establishment
people,” he said.” The Republicans
have taken the House and Senate
and done nothing with it. We need
a little more kick.”
there and is just in town staying
with a friend.
“If you want to vote today, you
might want to tell them that you’re
staying with your friend and you’re
here indefinitely, which sounds like
it’s true,” the worker explains.
“Okay, yeah, not 100 percent
true, but I understand,” the activist
replies.
“Right, but you’re here indefinitely, and you have your address
at your friend’s house,” the poll
worker says. “And then you’d be
able to vote.”
In another exchange, a Sanders
campaign staffer explains why she
believes the New Hampshire voting laws are so easily circumvented,
saying that voting fraud is, “incredibly easy,” and that “they make all
these lax laws, surrounding voting,
so people can, like, take advantage
of it.”
The New Hampshire attorney
general’s office has announced
they’re investigating the content of
the video.
Trump still threatening third-party bid
Trump also went on the attack
against rival presidential candidate
Ted Cruz. “If he doesn’t take down
his false ads and retract his lies,”
Trump said in a statement bashing
Cruz, he will immediately file a
lawsuit challenging Cruz’s eligibility to serve as president.
Trump has previously said a federal court should decide whether
Cruz meets the constitutional re-
Shocking video exposes voter
fraud in New Hampshire
Whoops! Jeb Bush loses
his website to Trump
(HORN NEWS) — Billionaire
Donald Trump has repeatedly made
a sport out of humiliating his rival
for the GOP presidential nomination, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
And now it looks like Trump’s
supporters are getting in on the action.
The Jeb Bush campaign has egg
on its face after apparently allowing its ownership rights to
www.JebBush.com to lapse.
And an apparent Trump supporter seized the domain name right
away.
Visitors to www.JebBush.com
are now redirected to Trump’s campaign website, where they are invited to support Trump, join his
mailing list, and even donate
money.
Trump’s campaign has denied
being behind the takeover of Bush’s
domain name, but it hardly matters.
GOP voters can expect Trump to
use the incident as more proof that
Bush and the team he has assembled are not ready for prime
time.
You can see Bush’s goof firsthand by visiting the website
www.JebBush.com here.
(HORN NEWS) — Undercover
video has emerged exposing multiple cases of possible voter fraud
in the Democratic primary in New
Hampshire.
And it puts the campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders under
serious scrutiny after his campaign
staff — on multiple occasions —
helped undercover activists, posing
as wanna-be voters who live outof-state, cast what appears to be illegal votes.
In the video, just released by
conservative journalist James
O’Keefe’s Project Veritas, there are
multiple examples of both Sanders’
campaign staff as well as other
Democratic poll workers helping to
fabricate where the journalists call
home.
In one example, one of the journalists seemingly asks a poll worker
how he could still vote in New
Hampshire, even if he doesn’t live
Clinton disaster! Hillary set to lose big in Nevada
(HORN NEWS) — With just
days to go before the Feb. 20th
Democratic caucuses in Nevada,
former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton’s campaign is in full panic
mode.
According to the latest polls,
Clinton’s lead — and the so-called
Nevada firewall that was supposed
to stop rival Vermont Sen. Bernie
Sanders — is crumbling.
Pressure on the Clinton campaign has intensified following her
22-point loss to Sanders in last
week’s New Hampshire primary.
Both Nevada and South Carolina, which follows the Western
state on the Democratic primary
calendar, are more racially diverse
than leadoff Iowa and New Hampshire and were initially assumed to
be a lock for Clinton. In fact, the
polls in December had Clinton
ahead by nearly 13 points in the
Silver State.
But the most recent poll suggests
the Nevada lead is quickly slipping
away from Clinton, leaving her vulnerable to back-to-back primary
loses. Sanders has gained steadily
on her, and data says the upcoming
caucus is now a dead heat between
the two, according to a recent poll
by TargetPoint.
Should that trend continue, it
would mean disaster for Clinton’s
White House aspirations.
It could be because the first two
Democratic primary states also
have relatively strong economies
and low unemployment rates, while
Nevada is still recovering from the
Great Recession. The state experienced a massive real estate bust and
years of double-digit unemployment, and its gambling and construction industries have not returned to the success of their boomtime years.
At a later rally in Las Vegas,
Sanders’ call for a new approach to
the nation’s economy resonated
with Nicole Reihl-Molloy, 37, of
Las Vegas, who said that she and
her husband struggled after the recession.
Reihl-Molloy said she had to
take a retail job when she couldn’t
find work in her field of marketing
and her husband — a construction
project manager — had to move
away for several years to work.
“I used to cry myself to sleep,”
she said. “There are a lot of people
whose careers evaporated.”
Clinton, meanwhile, continues
to cast herself as the rightful heir to
President Barack Obama and build
on his work to resuscitate the
economy after the 2008 crash.
But that message, according to
the polls, is falling increasingly flat
with voters.
Republican presidential candidate
Mitt Romney — that has Trump
fired up.
Founded by veteran Republican
strategist and former Romney
deputy campaign manager Katie
Packer, the Our Principles PAC’s
goal is single-minded: Stop Trump,
no matter the cost.
The group spent over $2.5 million in anti-Trump commercials,
mailers, and fliers leading up to the
Iowa caucus and claimed credit for
Trump’s second-place finish there.
“Romney is doing a PAC, because Romney feels badly... because frankly that was an election
that he should have won,” Trump
said of the attacks on Wednesday
on an appearance on Fox News.
The group has turned their sites
on South Carolina’s Feb. 20th primary, announcing an all-out blitz of
attack ads against Trump, accord-
ing to The State.
“They should have devoted
more time to Mitt Romney and
helped him win instead of looking
at, you know, taking other people
down.” Trump said.
With polls suggesting Trump has
a healthy lead in South Carolina, his
opponents seem increasingly desperate to sap his momentum in the
state and stop Trump from moving
forward.
Romney spending MILLIONS to take down Trump?
(HORN NEWS) — For months
GOP frontrunner Donald Trump
has largely shrugged off criticism
from the mainstream Republican
establishment.
But it’s the latest attack campaign from an unusual opponent —
a super PAC with ties to former
Obama headed to
Supreme Court?
(HORN NEWS) — With the
death of conservative Supreme
Court Justice Antonin Scalia this
weekend, President Obama and
Democratic insiders see a golden
opportunity to swing America’s
high court to the left.
And a deal may very well be taking shape that could end with
Obama being nominated to the Supreme Court.
With a presidential election just
nine months away, Congressional
Republicans are vowing to block
any nominee Obama puts forward.
They’re banking on a GOP win in
November that allow Scalia to be
replaced by another right-leaning
justice.
But Democrats are counting on
a win, too. And both Democratic
candidate Hillary Clinton and
Obama have flirted with the idea of
her appointing her old boss to the
Supreme Court.
She’s already on record as saying she “loves” the idea.
“I mean, he’s brilliant, he can set
forth an argument and he was a law
professor,” Clinton said at a town
hall last month, before Scalia’s
death. “So he’s got all the credentials, but we would have to get a
Democratic Senate to get him confirmed.”
Obama himself has admitted in
the past that he’s fond of the idea
of being a Supreme Court justice.
In a 2014 interview with The New
Yorker, Obama spoke on the subject.
“I love the law, intellectually,”
he said regarding his feelings towards being nominated as a justice.
“I love nutting out these problems,
wrestling with these arguments.”
The move wouldn’t be without
precedent. Obama’s quote has critics pointing toward another former
president that was inclined to law,
President William Howard Taft,
who was once said, “there is nothing I would have loved more than
being chief justice of the United
States.”
Taft got his wish.
In 1921, then President Warren
Harding — a political ally — nominated Taft to the Supreme Court to
replace Chief Justice Edward
Douglass White, whom Taft had
himself nominated. Taft was successfully approved by the Senate
and served as chief justice for over
eight years.
And that’s where this could turn
into THE issue of the 2016 campaign, and not just the race for the
White House.
It’s now a very real possibility
that the once-conservative stalwart
seat held by Justice Scalia could
turn far left for decades under a Justice Obama.
Consider: there are 34 Senate
seats up for grabs and a map that
heavily favors the Democrats, who
are defending just 10 of those seats.
The Republicans, meanwhile, have
24 seats to defend and not much
margin for error.
If the Democrats can pick up just
four of those seats, they’ll have a
50-50 split, with the tie-breaking
vote going to the newly elected vice
president.
Early projections have the
Democrats picking up at least two,
plus at least five other Republicanheld seats are expected to be highly
competitive: Florida, Missouri,
New Hampshire, North Carolina
and Pennsylvania.
Four of those states voted for
Obama in 2008 and three of them
stuck with him in 2012. The only
state to reject him twice is Missouri,
and even that seat isn’t safe for Republicans.
The state already has one Democrat in the U.S. Senate, Claire
McCaskill.
Those races will become even
more competitive with the Supreme
Court in the balance as a major campaign issue — and the Democrats
will be able to gather political favor during the election season by
blaming Republicans for blocking
any vote on the issue.
Then, with Clinton in the White
House and a new majority in the
Senate, the Democrats will be able
to repay the liberal icon who helped
make it all possible: President
Barack Obama, who could then in
turn ensure that the left-wing
Clinton agenda sails through the
courts for the rest of his life.
That turns the already critical
2016 elections into one that could
define America for generations to
come.
Be heard anywhere
in the world
(only $50 per hour)
RadioTribune Special
12 hours only $400
20 hours only $600
(Payment due upon contract signing)
• Talk Shows • Infomercials •
• Community Involvement •
• Business Promotions •
• Political Agendas •
• Marketing Promotions •
www.RadioTribune.com
For additional information
Call (702) 272-4634
Email: [email protected]
RadioTribune Lineup
“The Heard”
This much-needed new show will be broadcast Monday through
Friday on Radiotribune.com, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. with host Clark Feeley
with special call-in numbers: (702) 983-0711 and (800) 833-2345.
We all know about the “problems” we face today; we want you
to call in your solutions to those problems. If you see it as a problem, we want your solution! Our system will catalog both the problems and the solutions and keep a tally, matching up similar solutions with each other. These tallies will then be sent to officials
with the suggestion that they pay attention to the voice of the voters, both those who voted them in or those who can send them packing with their vote for another.
If your vote counts, then your voice needs to be heard!
*****
“Open Mic”
Every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 a.m., Gordon Martines
hosts “Open Mic,” a popular RadioTribune.com show. The AntiCorruption Coalition of Nevada is the basis for and theme of “Open
Mic.”
Gordon Martines was a career police officer with 39 years of onthe-job Law Enforcement experience. Past cases involving Kevin
Daley, Trayvon Cole and a variety of other covered-up criminal
cases, and a billion dollars worth of missing taxpayer money, are
discussed in depth and at length on the show.
Martines spent four years as police officer with the Hermosa
Beach Police Department before moving here and resuming his
police career in Las Vegas as a Detective in the Robbery/Homicide
Bureau, retiring from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after 36 years of police service.
The amount of corruption and cover-ups by executive Police Administrative officers witnessed by Martines inside the department
led to his decision to contest the good ol’ boy’s club and run for
Clark County Sheriff three times against what he knew were almost insurmountable odds.
“Open Mic” carries the voice the LVMPD does not want you to
hear, yet it is always there, every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00
a.m. on www.radiotribune.com. Tune in!
*****
“Face The Tribune”
Face the Tribune is heard every Monday through Friday at 12
noon, hosted by Rolando Larraz.
For the last five years “Face The Tribune” has been the premier
show for interviews with politicians, civil service workers, government officials and activists, and a voice for those everyday citizens
who needed to air their legal grievances. The Las Vegas Tribune
newspaper has been a part of the Las Vegas community for over 18
years and is the only independent newspaper in Clark County.
“Face The Tribune” was established as a voice for the people of
Las Vegas and is the only news platform where judges, city councilmen, local businessmen and women, as well as Mr. or Ms. Local
Citizen, can voice their opinions and share the issues that pertain to
Las Vegas.
The show’s host, Rolando Larraz, has been a journalist in Clark
County for over 50 years. He has been a fixture in the community
and a highly respected publisher who has covered local news and
events in Las Vegas since the mid-’60s.
For stories and information not available anywhere else in Las
Vegas, tune into “Face The Tribune” Monday through Friday at
12:00 noon.
*****
“Dirty Talk 101”
“Dirty Talk 101 with Essie” is on RadioTribune every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday from midnight to 1:01 a.m. Essie Nadira
will be bringing you that raw, uncut look into the world of the adult
industry with discussions, questions and myths that most keep behind closed doors. She has worked alongside many in the adult
industries doing promotions or hosting private parties to listening
to men and women’s craziest sexual fantasies. The show will have
a variety of special guests from time to time stopping by, so if you
want to learn some new kinky things and hear some hot, juicy discussions tune into “Dirty Talk 101 with Essie” Mon., Wed., Fri. at
midnight to 1:01 a.m. Essie is originally from Sacramento, Calif.
But has been residing in Las Vegas since 2007.
*****
Tune in to
RadioTribune
www.RadioTribune.com
Call-In Line (702) 983-0711
Tune in and listen to those who will tell you the truth,
and nothing but the truth. You’ll discover different
personalities and hear different opinions, but when it
comes to the facts, you’ll always get the truth from us!
Call in your solutions
Host Clark Feeley
Monday thru Friday • 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Call-in numbers: (702) 983-0711 and (800) 833-2345
716 S. 10th Street • Las Vegas, NV 89101
Open Mic
with Gordon Martines
11:00 a.m.
Tuesday and
Thursdays
on
RadioTribune.com
Face the
TRIBUNE
‘Face the Tribune’ is hosted
by Rolando Larraz
Monday thru Friday
at 12 noon
on www.RadioTribune.com
Dirty Talk 101
with Essie
Mon., Wed., Fri. midnight to 1:01 a.m.
Late Night Stories and Topics,
Questions and Answers
with professional advice
Dirty Celebrity Gossip
they don’t want you to know about
plus X-rated explicit music
ONLY ON
RadioTribune.com
[email protected]
EDITORIALS
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. — Thomas Jefferson
Our Point of View
Don’t give away
your freedom
with your vote
It is very important that everyone realizes that this election cycle is very important to the future of this nation. It
is a year to show all those candidates that their many years
of collecting a paycheck and signing those checks on the
back and never on the front has come to an end.
Professional politicians have come to the end and the
people of this nation have yelled loud and clear that enough
is enough and that they are mad as hell and they are not
going to take it anymore.
But before we go into a general and broad open discussion on the election and the candidates, pro and con, we
have to make sure that each and everyone knows where
we stand and what we believe in.
When this newspaper, the Las Vegas Tribune, was
founded by the Larraz family, it was very clear that our
intention, from day one, was to fight and expose corruption locally: the police abuse that existed back then and
the judicial unfairness and the closed circle that existed in
our courtrooms; we vowed to fight the lack of honesty and
legal representation of criminal defense attorneys that are
cowardly in cahoots with the police and prosecutors, ignoring the rights of their paying clients by forcing them to
plead guilty even if they were not.
We have been victims of those groups that worked hard
to keep us out of the places where we could do our jobs
better and more fairly, by denying us the right and access
to information that other members of the media are allowed to have and they are pampered by the public officials, following orders from their supervisors, higher-ups
and elected officials.
None of that has stopped us from doing our job, and we
can thank honest and loyal members of the community
working inside these offices, shoulder to shoulder with
those who consider us the enemy for exposing abuse and
every injustice perpetrated by those who see themselves
above all of those in the community who elected them to
become kings and queens in their own minds after being
elected.
It is important that the people of this community realize
that we did not start this newspaper to become wealthy,
powerful or important; most of us here, who are up in age,
believe that if we have not reached any of those plateaus
by now, chances are that we’ll never reach them in the
years ahead.
Money is not going to buy us, image is not our cup of
tea, and most people that are familiar with us know that
we don’t even like the spotlight shining in our faces.
Many in our family were not born in this country; we
came here as political refugees from Cuba and not looking
for jobs or a better financial future; we came here looking
for freedom and the justice that we had lost in our native
country when the communists took over the island.
We have to admit that the longer we lived here, we more
we found great similarity with the new government that
had kidnapped the country that once we called home, and
the image that we have created of our neighbor country
was not what the country was really offering, but we grew
to love the United States as our own country and are very
proud to be as loyal to our new home — or more so —
than many people who were already here, in what we called
our new country.
We work hard to point out to the people in the United
States the dangers of playing with the fire of socialism
and communism that some traitors are trying to introduce
in to this beautiful and generous country that has always
opened its arms to welcome anyone who wanted to adopt
this as their new country.
We are not going to sit quietly and let criminal communists destroy the future of this nation and the future of our
new generation by listening to the propaganda of Bernie
Sanders brainwash the vulnerable minds of our youth who
are naive and blindsided.
All these misguided young followers of Bernie Sanders
need to look at Venezuela, Cuba and any other communist
country where the people don’t even have toilet paper,
much less food or sometimes even water to drink. Is that
what they want for themselves? Is that what they want for
their children?
We’d rather be dead than allow that to happen to this
country; we’d rather lose our lives than lose our freedom,
because in a communist regime, newspapers like the Las
Vegas Tribune and radio stations like Radio Tribune would
not be allowed to exist.
We do not want another Cuba or another Venezuela in
the United States of America.
Stop giving high-tax
states an IRS deduction
By Thomas Mitchell
and Ben Carson all have proposed
We have long advocated making
repealing this tax break, while
the IRS sales tax deduction permaDonald Trump, as usual, is vague on
nent, instead of having to renew it
specifics.
every year or so, because Nevada is
The Heritage Foundation has esone of only nine states with no state
timated that dropping this deduction
income tax to deduct, which has been
could allow the federal tax rates to
deductible practically from the start
be reduced by as much as 12.5 perof the federal income tax in 1913. It’s
cent across the board.
only fair.
Nevadans — along with residents
Actually, the fairest thing to do
of New Hampshire, Florida, Wyowould be to eliminate all itemized
ming, Texas, South Dakota and
state and local tax deductions for IRS
Alaska — get to deduct about 1 pertaxes, because residents of high-tax
cent or less of their adjusted gross
THOMAS MITCHELL
states — mostly run by tax loving
income, while those who live in New
Democrats — get to deduct a disproportionate share. York, Maryland, D.C. and California deduct more than
This causes low-tax states — and Nevada still ranks 5 percent.
nearer the bottom despite recent tax hikes — to esNot surprisingly, The Wall Street Journal reports
sentially subsidize the higher-taxed states by paying that all of the top 10 high-tax states voted for Obama,
a greater share of federal taxes.
while most of the lower-taxed states voted for Mitt
Although it has been tried before — by Ronald Romney, with Nevada as one of the exceptions. Nearly
Reagan in 1986 — in this election year a number of one-third of the cost of the repeal would be borne by
GOP presidential candidates are including in their tax Californians and New Yorkers, both heavily Demoreform packages elimination of state and local tax cratic states.
deductions.
“If marginal tax rates were reduced in a revenueAccording to The Wall Street Journal, Ted Cruz, neutral and distributionally neutral manner, the more
Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, John Kasich
(See Mitchell, Page 17)
Language is not the only
barrier to communication
By Perly Viasmensky
I just remembered a few years ago when Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian held some neighborhood meetings at Clark High School, and I believe she still does.
Since some Metro Police officers direct those meetings, I decided to attend one and tried to express my
opinion about how those students of Clark High School
crossed the street on Arville and Pennwood Avenue
against traffic, in the middle of the block, and with
their cell phones glued to their ears, giving a haughty
look to the driver who had the audacity to interrupt
their conversation when they, the “little children,” do
not have the right of way.
English is my primary language, even though I also
speak Spanish fluently. The police officer in charge
of the meeting (or so he thought), spoke very broken
Spanish, but since the Councilwoman coordinating the
meeting didn’t even bother to stand up and direct the
meeting she planned, he interrupted me abruptly and
told me I needed to speak Spanish because none of
the people present spoke English.
The majority of those people attending the meet-
ing were parents of those “children” attending Clark
High School. If they want to live in the United States
they need to make an effort to learn English.
I do not have to speak Spanish to people who desire
to live in the United States and have no interest in learning English. Police officers should know that.
This is one of the reasons I never attended another
of Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian’s meetings, even if I
live in her ward. She needs to understand that we live
in the United States of America and all her constituents, and Metro Police officers, need to learn our language. We do not need to accommodate others for their
convenience.
Can you imagine if those police officers demand
people at those meetings need to speak Spanish for the
Tagalog-speaking citizens? Hey, we have many Filipinos in our community. Do those Metro officers believe
everything is Mexican?
We read in the news every day about bad accidents.
Do we need to blame drivers for those accidents? I
have seen a woman crossing Decatur Blvd. with two
(See Viasmensky, Page 15)
ON A PERSONAL NOTE
Holidays: Does anyone
care how we celebrate?
By Maramis
awakened — and have no comToday, as I write this, it is
plaints. But can you imagine how it
Valentine’s Day. Last week I wrote
would feel to have your mother or
about the origins of Valentine’s Day,
your mother-in-law sleeping on your
which were not exactly lovey dovey
living room couch for going on six
— but that did not and does not mean
weeks or longer, with no concrete
that I don’t appreciate the intended
knowledge of when it will end? And
meaning of the day.
it’s not just me in their living room,
In fact, if I had to come up with
it’s all the stuff I need in the meanjust one thing to celebrate all year
time, which has no place to go until I
long, it would be love. So having a
can put it in my apartment... so for
day dedicated to love seems like an
now, it’s all over the coffee table, the
okay thing to me. Love comes in
end tables and the coat rack. And
MARAMIS CHOUFANI
many packages and it isn’t always
since they haven’t complained one
recognized at a single glance; but the older I get, and bit, I’d call that love!
the more I tune in to life around me, the more I recogSo I woke up this morning to a very lovely and lovnize love in its many forms.
ing sight right next to the couch, on the tiny spot of
I am currently living with my daughter and her coffee table that had any room left on it at all. A living
husband while awaiting the completion of my apart- potted plant of deep burgundy “Mums,” along with a
ment. Since they do not have a spare bedroom, I have delightful and loving Valentine’s Day card tucked bebeen sleeping in their living room, which is open ter- tween the stems and leaves of the flowers. From both
ritory to their four dogs, and is their passageway to of them.
the outside, to get to their front door. I have learned to
No matter how much we, possibly as a society at
sleep through various noises and comings and goings large, might not like the way all our holidays have been
(See Maramis, Page 15)
— or simply fall back to sleep, if need be, after being
VIEW POINTS
Editors note: The views expressed are entirely those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Las Vegas Tribune.
Breaking and Entering at the
Border has Consequences
As Americans are taught growing up, if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime
By Chuck Muth
There are three distinct camps in
the illegal immigration war...
One group wants to let all those
who have broken into this country
illegally stay in the country, become
citizens, and vote Democrat.
A second group would round up
and deport every last one of them.
And a third group, the largest,
would shut the border and legalize
the vast majority who have kept
their noses clean since getting here,
but withhold the ability to vote for
Bernie Sanders for president in
November.
I’m in camp #3. Which brings
us to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship church in Reno.
According to recent press reports the church provided sanctuary to an illegal immigrant named
Jose Gastelum who was facing deportation by the Immigration and
Customs Enforcement agency, bet-
By Mace J. Yampolsky
An Alaskan Airlines pilot who
was charged with flying two commercial flights DRUNK is facing
15 years in prison.
David Hans Arntson, 60, was
charged in Central District of California with operating a common
carrier while under the influence of
alcohol or drugs, an FU (no, not a
Felix Unger; a Flying Under the
Influence, which is much worse
than a DUI). I’ve represented a
couple of pilots for DUI. In addition to the criminal charges, the
FAA also gets involved. Dealing
with the FAA is maddening. But I
was able to keep their pilot’s license. You may not think that is
such a good idea. But they weren’t
flying!
Arntson Had a BAC Well
Over the Legal Limit After
Piloting Two Flights
As reported by the Daily Mail
of the UK: Random tests showed
he flew two flights on June 20,
2014, with blood alcohol readings
of 0.134 and 0.142. Flights were
from San Diego to Portland, Oregon, and then Portland to Orange
CHUCK MUTH
ter known by the really cool, literally, name “ICE.”
Jose has lived in Reno illegally
for the last 10 years with his American wife and two American children. But unlike the vast majority
of those living in the U.S. illegally,
Jose didn’t keep his nose clean.
Jose was busted for DUI. And
there was concern that if he showed
up for a meeting with the ICE guys
in January he would be deported.
And that “would have split apart his
family.”
Which is bunk.
This so-called ripping apart of
families is the bleeding heart argument by supporters of illegal immigration to stop the enforcement of
our immigration laws. But one of
the first things Americans learn
growing up is that actions have consequences.
Breaking into the U.S. and driving drunk are against the law. Jose
broke the law. Twice. So now he
and his family are facing the consequences of his own actions. No
one is to blame here other than Jose.
And it simply is not true that
enforcing the law would rip Jose’s
family apart. Because to the best of
my knowledge there is absolutely
no reason whatsoever that his wife
and children can’t return to his
home country with him when he
goes.
That said, there’s an argument to
be made as to whether or not driving drunk should be a deportable
crime up there with murder, rape
and armed robbery. But you’ll have
to take that up with the MADD gals.
You know who’s really respon-
sible for Jose’s predicament, other
than Jose? Democrats in Congress,
especially Senate Minority Leader
Harry Reid.
If they would simply let us fix
our broken immigration system
without insisting on making every
illegal alien a citizen, legalizing, not
naturalizing, folks like Jose could
(See Chuck Muth, Page 17)
MACE YAMPOLSKY
County.
The legal limit for pilots is 0.04,
and I’ve never heard of a designated
flyer. Also, Uber doesn’t operate
planes. They don’t conduct FlyUbers!
He was arraigned in federal court
in the Central District of California
Wednesday January 20, 2016 on
one felony count. He was freed on
$25,000 bond and ordered to return
February 10 for a hearing. According to a criminal complaint filed
Tuesday in U.S. District Court,
Arntson piloted two Alaska Airlines
flights on June 20, 2014. The incident and charges were not made
public until Thursday, January 21,
2015, when Arntson appeared in
court for the first time.
The first trip, Flight 573, left San
Diego International Airport for
Portland, Oregon, and the second,
Flight 580, traveled from Portland
to Orange County’s John Wayne
Airport.
Upon arriving in Orange
County, he was asked to submit to
a random drug and alcohol test.
“I Bet It’s for Me”
After posting blood-alcohol
readings of 0.134 and 0.142 percent, he was removed from what
the airline calls safety-sensitive
duties. But the breath alcohol technician did not smell any alcohol,
which is unusual with a BAC that
high.
He attempted to get his blood
tested at several urgent care facilities that night, but was told he
needed a prescription. Huh? He did
get his blood tested the following
morning at an ER. The BAC level
was 0.0 He then subsequently re-
tired. The U.S. attorney’s office said
in the criminal complaint that upon
seeing the drug and alcohol tester,
he commented to his co-pilot, ‘I bet
it’s for me.’
“But I Was Sober!”
He told investigators he was sober, but that he was taking medication. His co-pilot and flight crew
said they did not see him consume
any alcohol and did not smell anything on his breath. This is inter-
esting. Could he have imbibed
without anyone knowing? YES!
But with a BAC of .134 or .142, it
would be really unusual not to show
any signs of intoxication or impairment. Arnston could not be contacted for comment (wise man!)
A phone number listed for him
had been disconnected. He was a
captain for 31 years and first
worked with Jet America.
(See Mace, Page 17)
LARRY KLAYMAN
ets, by selling influence and decision-making during her tenure as
secretary of state.
Chief among her responsibilities
as secretary of state was her principal role in deciding who and which
interest could do business with the
terrorist state the Islamic Republic
of Iran during the several-year time
period when sanctions were in effect. While these sanctions have
now been largely lifted, the issue
remains: Did Hillary sell waivers to
do business with this terrorist state
in exchange for hard cold cash, and
is this why she had used a secret,
private, non-governmental server to
do business with the mullahs in
Tehran and others from whom she
could, with her power as the secretary of state, extort large financial
gain for herself, her family and the
Clinton Foundation?
The FBI is reportedly using over
100 of its fine agents to recreate
Hillary’s deleted emails and do follow-up investigation into this apparent bribery scheme, a caper similar to the one I wrote about last
week concerning her role as first
lady during the days of her
husband’s presidency in taking
bribes from the communist Chinese.
While no Justice Department
will, if the past is a prologue, ever
indict her — Democrats and Republicans have an unwritten agreement
not to gore the oxes of the high
priests and priestesses of their respective parties — the FBI will undoubtedly leak many of the details
of their eventual but doomed criminal referral to Obama Attorney
General Loretta Lynch. As a result,
expect either Bernie Sanders to win
the Democratic presidential nomination, or to have Hillary shown the
door in the next two months, with
someone like Vice President Joe
Biden entering the race. The stench
if not rank lawlessness of the
Wicked Witch of the Left will have
reached critical mass by that time,
and she will melt as did the Wicked
Witch of the West in “The Wizard
of Oz.”
Then there are the two CubanAmerican Republican candidates
— Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz —
both ineligible to run for the presidency as they are not natural born
citizens. It is no secret that I admire
and deeply respect the Cuban
people, my having fought many legal battles on their behalf, and won
nearly a $2 million judgment
against the Castro brothers for their
air force’s murderous shootdown of
Brothers to the Rescue planes over
the Florida straits — among many
other causes to further Cubans’ freedom from Communist rule.
But in the case of Rubio, notwithstanding that he has never done
anything to further freedom for his
own people in Cuba or elsewhere,
his fatal wounding by Gov. Chris
Christie in the New Hampshire debate unmasked exactly who he is: a
glib but shallow robot who sounds
good thanks to his obviously rehearsed sound bites and lines, but
who in the end is not ready for
prime time. Nor will he ever be,
having been caught lying about his
father fleeing Fidel Castro, when in
fact his dad left Cuba during the
regime of a prior non-communist
dictator, his going “AWOL” and
routinely not showing up in Congress to vote as my senator from
Florida, and his duplicity over pushing amnesty and now conveniently
claiming, falsely, that he did not. In
short, Marco Rubio has seen his
better days. His prospects are not
good, especially in the myriad upcoming Southern primaries.
As for Ted Cruz, to me his obvious involvement in doing a number on “lovable” Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson by his
staff falsely publicly disseminating
during the crucial voting hours of
the Iowa caucuses that the neurosurgeon was quitting the race, his
weak, halfhearted and insincere
apology and failure to fire his campaign manager for this unethical
conduct, have cast a dark cloud over
his ethics and legitimacy to be
president. Of equal importance to
Cruz’s chances to win the Republican presidential nomination is his
impersonal, appellate-lawyer,
wooden, heavy-handed and pedantic speaking style. Even worse than
former presidential candidate Mitt
Romney, whose integrity was never
in question, Cruz’s distant demeanor, at least for me, is grating
and annoying. I simply cannot stand
to listen to him speak and watch
him point his finger at us, even if I
agree with almost all that he says.
Much like Obama, it would be painful to listen to and see this puppet
for four and perhaps eight years. In
short, Cruz, unlike Trump and even
communist-loving grandpa Bernie
Sanders, cannot connect on a human level with ordinary Americans,
whatever their political persuasion.
His candidacy is doomed, as he has
the “fine endearing touch” of failed
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam
Newton who recently hid the skids
in the Super Bowl.
So this is my analysis of the rise
and likely fall of Hillary, Marco,
Ted and Cam. Only time will tell if
I am right. “At the end of the day,”
in the words of an inarticulate and
unsportsmanlike Cam Newton after his Super Bowl meltdown, they
will have to wait for another political Super Bowl, as all of them have
fumbled the ball.
Larry Klayman, founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch,
is known for his strong public interest advocacy in furtherance of
ethics in government and individual
freedoms and liberties. During his
tenure at Judicial Watch, he obtained a court ruling that Bill
Clinton committed a crime, the first
lawyer ever to have done so against
an American president. In 2004,
Larry ran for the U.S. Senate as a
Republican in Florida’s primary.
After the race ended, he founded
Freedom Watch. Larry is a frequent
commentator on television and radio, as well as a weekly columnist,
on Friday, for WND.com. He has
been credited as being the inspiration for the Tea Party movement.
Don’t Drink and Fly
Hillary, Cruz, Marco and Cam all fumble the ball
By Larry Klayman
Since the New Hampshire presidential primary last Tuesday, there
has been much punditry and prognostication about the chances of
Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz and
Marco Rubio — who were among
the top tier of candidates — to now
win their respective parties’ presidential nominations. Allow me to
use this column to give you my
“two cents.”
As I wrote in part last week, after years of evading the law and
being held accountable by law enforcement authorities, my former
and current public interest groups,
Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch,
and compromised Clinton- and
Obama-appointed federal judges,
Hillary Clinton is now on a collision course with the Federal Bureau
of Investigation, headed by its ethical director, James Comey. Contrary to most of the commentary on
cable news and the print media, the
serious legal issues confronting
Hillary do not just concern her mishandling and likely disclosure of
highly classified national security
information on her so-called private
server, but also what she was precisely doing with donors and other
special interests, including hostile
foreign nations and their agents in
these “private communications.”
As set forth with some particularity in a racketeering lawsuit I
filed as a plaintiff against the
Wicked Witch of the Left (see
freedomwatchusa.org), there is considerable evidence that Hillary was
secretly communicating with these
persons, foreign nations and other
nefarious interests to cut deals to
line her and husband Bill’s pock-
COMMENTARIES
Editors note: The views expressed are entirely those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Las Vegas Tribune.
Metro Investigations:
A Conflict of Interest or Incest?
By Norman Jahn
Leadership in a Sheriff’s Department can be corrupt. We can look
at the recent guilty plea by former
Los Angeles sheriff Lee Baca. The
‘systemic misconduct’ in Los Angeles focused on the jail and the
treatment of prisoners and leaders
lying to investigators in order to
cover up that wrongdoing. The
LVMPD also manages a jail and
there have been rumblings about
problems at the Clark County Detention Center for some time. Stay
tuned.
Corruption can have a number
of meanings. It is not always related
to being ‘paid off’ to engage in
criminal conduct or other misconduct (or to look the other way). An
organization can become ethically
corrupt. Policies and procedures can
be corrupted. Individuals promoted
to positions of power can abuse that
power and unfairly target employees or abuse the rights of citizens.
This can occur in all organizations.
Today, I am focusing on ‘corrupted’
use of deadly force and how Metro
investigates these incidents.
When I was hired (1983) I certainly expected Sheriff Moran to
possibly tell me, “You’re DONE,
you shot a man who didn’t have a
gun.” Today, I’m afraid things have
changed and officers may feel entitled to keep their jobs even after
‘mistakes’ are made. This is troubling! Every employee should realize that there are consequences
when ‘mistakes’ are made. Policing
should be no exception. Mistakes
causing death are as extreme as it
gets!
I was trained that after a deadly
force incident ‘homicide’ detectives
would investigate whether ‘laws’
had been violated. I expected to
Viamensky
NORMAN JAHN
have to explain why I shot my firearm. Today, the FIT (Force Investigative Team) conducts the ‘criminal’ investigation and involved officers have up to 48 hours before
giving a statement.
Today, officers give a ‘Public
Safety Statement’ at the scene (brief
facts) but are not required to speak
with FIT detectives. I was never
hired to serve as a police officer
expecting that I didn’t have to immediately explain why I shot a person! I knew it was unlikely that I
would face ‘criminal’ charges unless I acted with MALICE or was
criminally negligent. Any charges
would be based on the state law after the D.A held a Coroner’s Inquest. Of course we worried about
having a ‘bad shoot’ but the decision to file charges would be based
on whether the shooting was ‘justifiable,’ ‘excusable,’ or ‘NOT justified.’
I expected a parallel internal investigation to determine compliance with policy and procedure
conducted by Internal Affairs. Now,
it is the CIRT (Critical Incident
Review Team) that conducts the ‘ad-
toddlers, a child in a stroller and her belly ready to
explode with her cell phone glued to her ears as they
were walking on the “King’s land.” They did not
even have landlines in their country and they have
become experts of cell phones here.
Oh, please, if School Police are totally unaware
Maramis
‘commercialized’ (except, of
course, for those who do the commercializing), we would be hardpressed to say we don’t appreciate
the thoughtfulness of those who
remember us with a little gift on
certain days of remembrance. Especially, on a day of “love.”
True, as I’ve often had reason to
say, I’d prefer to be treated with
kindness and love all year long,
rather than receive diamonds or
roses and chocolates on that one
“special” day as an outward and
possibly public sign of supposed
love, but if given in addition to
kindness and love all year long, any
gift is a true delight and a joy to
receive.
As far as holidays go, we get
another
one
tomorrow:
Washington’s birthday. Yes, although it is called Presidents’ Day
on many calendars, and possibly in
most advertising — as a way to include Lincoln, whose birthday, February 12, has somehow been removed from many calendars —
Washington’s birthday was never
officially changed to Presidents’
Day by the federal government.
Individual states are not obliged
to accept official federal holidays
— which only affect federal offices
and agencies — and while most
have adopted Washington’s Birthday, several others officially celebrate Presidents’ Day instead. And
some that celebrate Washington’s
Birthday also celebrate Lincoln’s
Birthday as a separate legal holiday.
But be that as it may, while the
images of both Lincoln and Washington appear in newspapers and
advertising fliers appealing to those
who like to take advantage of those
President Day sales, it seems that it
is still a bit of a stretch (thankfully)
ministrative’ investigation but they
don’t even speak to the involved
employees on the scene.
After a fatality, we now have a
Police Fatality Review. Amazingly,
officers can refuse to testify in this
public ‘fact-finding’ process. There
is now a Use of Force Review Board
and a Tactical Review Board. Based
on the recommendations from these
two bodies, the sheriff either decides to terminate, discipline, train,
or even commend the officers.
If the FIT investigation points to
an officer being culpable it proceeds
to the D.A. If CIRT finds problems,
they can be corrected ‘in house.’ On
bad shoots this could, and absolutely SHOULD, include the possibility that the officer loses his job.
So why do so many questionable
shootings keep happening? Sheriff
Lombardo has referred to some of
them as ‘mistake of fact’ shootings.
This could include shootings of:
Trevon Cole (he didn’t have a
gun)
Stanley Gibson (he didn’t have
a gun or fire it)
Eric Scott (his gun was still in
its holster)
Lawrence Gordon (Gordon was
reaching for a hat).
Abel Correa (his gun was in a
closet and he was ordered to put his
hands up and he didn’t have a gun
either).
Keith Childress (he didn’t have
a gun).
There are also far too many similar shootings involving ‘fake’ guns,
excessive shots by police (54 fired
at Bryan Day), and incidents that
could have been de-escalated with
different tactics and an attitude of
more restraint. There are also only
partial releases of video which cut
off family members screaming, K9
of and absent on these matters, it is time for Metro
Police to take action in these maters, even if the officers in question want us to speak Spanish.
Perly Viasmensky is the General Manager of the
Las Vegas Tribune. She writes a weekly column in
this newspaper. To contact Perly Viasmensky, email
her at pviasmensky@lasvegas tribune.com.
Washington’s Birthday
George Washington was actually born on Feb. 11, 1731, according to the Julian calendar. But in 1752, Britain and her colonies
adopted the Gregorian calendar, jumping ahead 11 days and making
January the first month of the year instead of March. According to
this new calendar, Washington’s birthday then occurred on Feb. 22,
1732 (yes, 1732; he also had to add a year to his date due to the
change). His birthday became a federal holiday under President
Chester Arthur in 1885, and was celebrated on Feb. 22 until 1971,
when it was moved to the third Monday in February under the Monday Holidays Act of 1968. But his birthday was first celebrated while
he was alive and still in office.
to tweak the commercialization of
that holiday toward the personal
level for gifts to give your friends
or
loved
ones.
Perhaps
Washington’s birthday should stay
as a day of remembrance rather than
ever trying to turn itself into a day
of gifts for one’s friends, furniture
or mattress sales notwithstanding.
How wonderful it would be to always have a day of honor and remembrance for the Father of our
Country, whether people think he
was perfect in his capacity as president or not.
But far be it from me to decide
for others how to celebrate any day
they choose to celebrate, gift-giving or not. I’m just a bit old fashioned, I guess. I believe in not adding a financial “burden” or sense of
monetary obligation to anyone’s
desire to adequately celebrate any
holiday, from Valentine’s Day to
Mother’s Day to Christmas — or
anything in between.
Having said all that, it is always
the right time to show your love and
your caring for certain people in
your life... and if that desire to express it with a gift or some other
physical token of your love just
happens to surface on a holiday
such as Valentine’s Day, the receiver of your gift will know its
value by the way he or she is treated
all year long!
*****
Maramis Choufani is the Managing Editor of the Las Vegas Tribune. She writes a weekly column
in this newspaper. To contact
Maramis,
email
her
at
[email protected].
deployment and bites, or officers
rendering medical aid — or NOT.
When I scrutinize these deadly
force incidents it is not my intent
to indict the individual officer(s). I
expected to be judged — it is the
nature of the job. I also expect the
organization to adequately respond
to the problems and notify the public as to what is being done. This is
where the false promises of transparency and lack of accountability
land squarely on the shoulders of
leaders of the LVMPD.
To reassert my position; It is not
the officer’s fault when they follow
their training and procedures (ASSESS THE QUALITY OF THE
TRAINING AND THE CONTENT OF THE PROCEDURES).
It is not the officer’s fault when
they are taught that they are ‘at war’
or that there is a ‘war on cops’ when
this simply is not validated (POLICE DEPARTMENTS TRAINING ‘WARRIORS’ SHOULD BE
HELD ACCOUNTABLE BY THE
COMMUNITY).
state law is what determines
whether police conduct (use of
deadly force resulting in death) is
criminal or not. (STATE LAWS
CAN BE CHANGED to remove
the word ‘malice’ if circumstances
dictate).
the investigations cannot possibly
be objective when conducted ‘inhouse’ where the organization has
a huge stake in the matter (i.e.,
avoidance of expensive lawsuits).
This is where the internal relations and obvious conflicts of interest (akin to INCEST) come into
play. When Metro ‘investigates
their own’ (for criminal conduct or
administrative investigations they
are simply too ‘close’ for objectivity. WHEN LT. KELLY
McMAHILL (the undersheriff’s
wife) AND OFFICER WENDY
FASULO (the assistant sheriff’s
wife) ARE BOTH ASSIGNED TO
CIRT - DOES ANYONE BELIEVE THEY ARE NOT BEHOLDEN TO THE ‘ADMINISTRATION,’
PROTECTING
METRO, AND PREDETERMINED OUTCOMES?
Because Metro has been self-in-
sured for many years their goals are
self-preservation, safeguarding assets, and avoiding liability. With an
annual budget of a HALF-BILLION they get to use tax money to
deal with lawsuits and pay attorneys. They have protected officers
they want to protect (i.e., Bryan
Yant).
What is getting ‘fixed’ through
CIRT? There are lengthy delays in
investigations. Their information is
outdated on their website (although
they did just add ‘press releases’ to
make it look like work is being
done). I only counted 11 fatal officer involved shootings for 2015
but they list 16. That is a number
you don’t want to exaggerate. I
know more about the shootings than
many officers currently working the
streets. Are lessons learned being
shared and incidents being debriefed with officers NOW?
(There are 11 important investigations (from 2015) underway
right now. SWAT snipers killed suspects in 4 incidents. Two suspects
were females shot by snipers who
had access to armored vehicles and
ballistic shields. Two suspects were
reaching for guns they ‘dropped.’
Two suspects actually fired at police. Two suspects did not have
guns.
Will an enlightened community
and an informed Department of Justice soon realize they have been
bamboozled and people are continuing to die?
Norm Jahn served with the
LVMPD for over 21 years and
achieved the rank of lieutenant. He
also served as a police chief in Wisconsin for over three years. Jahn
has been a university professor and
also taught in the criminal justice
program at the College of Southern Nevada for over a decade. Jahn
received a bachelor’s degree from
Michigan State University and a
master’s degree from UNLV. He has
researched police performance and
the management and leadership of
police departments. His weekly column focuses on current policing issues, especially those involving the
LVMPD. Norm provides ‘insight
with an edge’ to inform the public
and improve policing. He can be
reached at [email protected].
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
We the people are fed up
We the people are fed up with
the lies and deceit of the greedy
politicians who think more of themselves than the people they represent. They are a group of self-righteous individuals who capitalize on
every opportunity to benefit themselves. Our voice is being heard
loud and clear. Politicians, you will
mistreat us no more. We will elect
a person who is not a politician and
cannot be bought. One who is on a
mission to take this country back
and restore the greatness that it once
had. We will elect one Donald J.
Trump. And so it shall be.
George Devine
[email protected]
DO YOU NEED AN EDITOR?
Have you been embarrassed lately when someone pointed
out to you that you misspelled a word in your report or maybe
had a whole sentence all messed up? Have you personally
felt that you could’ve done a much better job on that manuscript
but just didn’t have the time?
Why put off doing what you know you should have done before:
call in an editor! As a word-, sentence-, and document-doctor,
she will fix what needs fixing by adding a little of this or that,
and taking out what shouldn’t have been there in the first place.
Give yourself the luxury of looking your best in print!
[email protected]. 702-706-6875.
How peaceful protests are
handled by our government
By Gordon Martines
After fighting in World War I,
American soldiers returned home to
find that they had missed out on the
chance to earn a significant amount
of money while away. The average
soldier was paid much less than the
average factory worker during the
first World War, and in an effort to
win back some level of equity,
WWI veterans lobbied Congress to
compensate them for the wages
they had lost out on while serving
the country in combat. They carefully used the phrase “adjusted
compensation” (instead of “bonus,”
a term used by their opponents) to
describe the money they argued
they were owed. In 1924, the US
government issued what it termed
“adjusted universal compensation”
to its WW I veterans (along with
their families).
These certificates promised to
pay $1.25 for each day a veteran
had served abroad, and $1.00 for
each day a veteran had served in
country. They were to be paid by
1945. By 1932, however, the United
States was at the peak of the Great
Depression, and 25 percent of the
population was unemployed. The
WWI veterans began lobbying to
have their “bonuses” paid to them
early, as many of them were not
GORDON MARTINES
only unemployed, but also homeless.
In May of 1932, thousands of
unemployed and homeless veterans, many of them traveling with
their entire families in tow, began
camping out in Washington, DC.
The largest “tent city” was in
Anacostia Flats, very nearby to the
Capitol building. Although termed
by the media as the “Bonus Army,”
the veterans called themselves the
“Bonus Expeditionary Force,” a
play on the “American Expeditionary Force,” which was the name for
the American troops sent to fight in
France during the war. Led by
Walter Walters, a former cannery
worker who emphasized that there
would be no begging, “drinking, or
radicalism” in the camps, the veterans proceeded to create extremely
well organized systems of operation. They marked clear roads
within the camps, dug latrines, and
held daily military formations and
non-violent marches arguing for
their payment.
The orderliness of the campsites
simply made the government’s refusal to give the veterans their
money seem all the more unjust. By
engaging in non-violent and noncommunism-related conduct, the
veterans sought to make themselves
appear as the noble and worthy recipients of the compensation. Several other protests and marches
against the lack of resources, jobs,
money, and food to the American
people had already taken place,
some spouting communist ideals
and ending in violence. In light of
these previous campaigns, Army
Chief of Staff MacArthur was suspicious that the “Bonus Army” was
running a communist conspiracy to
overthrow the government. In contrast to the other protests, however,
the veterans labeled their efforts as
an example of “pure Americanism.”
By the end of May, there were
an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 vet-
erans living in the camps near the
Capitol with their families. Their
goals were to shame the government into giving them their money
and demonstrate how a transformed
social and economic system could
work. They vowed to stay in the
camps they had established until the
Veteran’s Bill, which would allow
them to be paid their money immediately, was passed.
On June 15, the House of Representatives passed the Veteran’s
Bill, but it was blocked two days
later in the Senate. As tensions increased, the veterans became more
and more angry. On July 21, Washington Police Superintendent
Pelham D. Glassford was ordered
to begin evacuating the veterans
and their families from the buildings they had been occupying near
Pennsylvania Avenue. One week
later, on July 28, several marchers
rushed at Glassford’s police and
began throwing bricks at them.
President Hoover, who was soon to
be up for re-election, ordered the
Secretary of War to clear the affected area “without delay.”
Although there is some dispute
about whether or not he was in fact
ordered to do so, MacArthur followed the veterans across the bridge
that led to the rest of their encamp-
ments on the other side of the
Anacostia River. There, the authorities used tear gas and drawn swords,
as well as a number of other weapons, to systematically destroy all of
the marchers’ tents and possessions.
The protesters, in response, shouted
“Stand clear as long as you can!”
and stood by as their campsite was
subsequently burned to the ground.
Two veterans and two babies were
killed in the chaos, while the local
hospitals were overwhelmed with
the injured. The attack marked the
end of the veteran’s campaign.
Gordon Martines is a former
LVMPD detective who has served
in many capacities over his 39-year
career in law enforcement. He was
a candidate for sheriff in 2002,
2006, 2010 and 2014, with the intention of bringing integrity and accountability back to the department,
and filed a federal lawsuit against
LVMPD in 2011. Martines has appeared on “Face The Tribune” radio show several times and is currently the host of “Open Mic” on
Tuesdays and Thursday at 11:00
a.m. He contributes his opinions
and ideas to the Las Vegas Tribune
to keep the public informed and
help improve policing in Las Vegas.
Gordon Martines can be contacted
via email at [email protected].
lamic ideology wherever we find it,
and by every means at our disposal.
We must destroy terrorist movements like ISIS around the world
while countering radical Islamic
ideology here in the United States.
No group can subjugate the U.S.
Constitution to their will.
Recognizing the complex nature
of this threat, I have put forward a
plan to address radical Islamic terrorism, from ISIS fighters in Syria
and Iraq to even non-violent jihad
in the U.S. and elsewhere. Winning
this fight will not be easy, but if ‘We
the People’ unite behind the cause
of freedom and American values, I
know that we will prevail. This is
hardly the first time the United
States has been threatened by radical ideologies. Just as with Nazism
and Soviet communism, the American people will prove too resilient
to be defeated by expansionist and
oppressive regimes like ISIS.
As President I will declare war
on the Islamic State, taking back the
territory through which it claims
legitimacy. I will destroy the means
by which it gains revenue and cut
off the supply routes on which it
relies, and I will work with regional
partners and local forces — including displaced Syrian men — to take
back that country from the jihadists.
At the same time I will work with
allies and partners in Europe and
Northern Africa to halt the advance
of the Islamic State in the Maghreb
and turn back the growing tide of
radical Islam across the continent.
This movement is global, and our
efforts must match it in scale and
intensity.
This fight extends far beyond the
illegitimate borders of the Islamic
State and the soldiers they have recruited. My plan will leverage every American strength — diplomatic, economic, political and cultural — to combat radicalization
and ensure that no country provides
safe harbor for terrorism.
In the U.S., I will work tirelessly
to defend our way of life from those
who wish to destroy it. That means
not only investigating groups like
CAIR, but securing our borders to
ensure that terrorists do not have a
pathway into the homeland. Unlike
President Obama, I will not allow
a stream of poorly vetted people
from Syria to come to the U.S. On
the contrary, I will establish refugee safe zones in Syria and neighboring countries, so that refugees
are provided for, but are also ready
to return home when it is safe for
them to do so.
A president’s most solemn vow
is to protect the people, whose
country they have entrusted to him.
This plan is my promise to uphold
America’s security to my utmost,
confronting our worst threats head
on. Radical Islamic terrorism is the
greatest threat we face today. But
with the support of the American
people, there is no challenge too
great for us to overcome.
Dr. Ben Carson is a retired pediatric neurosurgeon and Republican candidate for President. Ben
Carson, M.D. is Professor Emeritus of Neurosurgery at Johns
Hopkins University and a Fox News
contributor. He is author of
“America the Beautiful: What
Made This Nation Great”
(Zondervan 2012).
It’s time to declare war on ISIS
By Ben Carson, M.D.
For seven years we’ve all
watched as America’s global leadership has declined and radical Islamic terrorism spread around the
world. The explosion of this global
ideology of violent extremism is
only accelerating, and innocent
men, women and children are paying the price for our ineffective action and failure to lead.
What will it take for America’s
leaders to wake up to the true nature of radical Islamic terrorism?
Even after horrifying attacks in San
Bernardino, Calif. President Obama
refuses to acknowledge this threat
for what it is: a radical ideology that
seeks to violently impose Islam on
others and supplant existing cultures and duly constituted governments around the world. We cannot defeat the Islamic State and
other brands of radical Islamic terrorism until we confront this truth.
Instead, we have an ineffectual
strategy without direction and without dedication. While bombs fall
around Raqqa, Syria, enclaves of
the would-be Islamic State caliphate have sprung up in Libya and
other North African nations, as well
as the Gaza strip and even Pakistan.
Unless we act now, these ISIS loyalists will only entrench their positions as they work to meet each
other in the middle.
These are not just the ambitions
of faraway mad men. Around the
world people are working to advance this ideology — not just in
the Middle East, but here in
America as well.
Whether through violent attacks
like San Bernardino or the shooting of a police officer in Philadelphia, or through social “lawfare”
tactics designed to silence criticism
and advance the goal of imposing
DR. BEN CARSON
sharia, Islamic jihad has already
reached our shores. For example,
the Council of American Islamic
Relations (CAIR) has been operating in the U.S. for more than 20
years. Although CAIR claims to
represent peaceful Muslims in civil
rights issues, its history ties directly
to the terrorist organizations Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. CAIR
was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land
Foundation’s funding of terrorist
attacks, several prominent members
and founders have been incarcerated or deported for fraud and terrorism charges, and the countries of
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United
Arab Emirates have designated it a
terrorist organization.
“As President I will declare war
on the Islamic State...”
Most disturbing of all is the revelation during the Holy Land trial
of a strategic document that called
on members to conduct a
‘civilizational jihad’ to impose
sharia law in the United States. This
is not representative of all Muslim
Americans, but rather of the terrorist organizations to which some are
tied. We must fight this radical Is-
Syrians gather around wreckage following a triple bombing in Sayyda Zeinab
by the ISIS terror group that killed 45 people on Jan. 31, 2016.
Compromise or
Collaborate?
By Tom Taormina
Nearly every day a news commentator or political candidate is
demanding that the opposing sides
work together to compromise and
remove governmental gridlock.
What does compromise really
mean?
A dictionary defines the word as
“a settlement of differences by
mutual concessions; an agreement
reached by adjustment of conflicting or opposing claims, principles,
etc., by reciprocal modification of
demands.” Just the definition
should lead us to realize that compromise is not the answer to finding viable solutions for any complex issue.
Compromise is adversarial. It
has winners and losers. Neither side
is really satisfied with the outcome.
Often, the apparent victor is disheartened from having stripped out
critical components of the “deal.”
Often the losers are motivated to
sabotage the “deal” so that it can
be reopened for negotiation.
This system is so flawed that
Congress now has the lowest approval rating in the history of the
Country. The process of compromise is also creating gridlock in
State and local governmental agencies, school boards and almost any
“elected” body of governance.
Consider replacing “compromise” with “collaboration and consensus.” The dictionary definition
of collaborate is “to work, one with
another; cooperate willingly.” The
definition of collaborate is “general
agreement or concord; harmony.”
A benchmark for recommending
a complete redesign in governmental conduct is based on 14 years
working at Mission Control in
Houston during Gemini and
Apollo. We made up our minds to
go to the moon in seven years and
we did it.
TOM TAORMINA
The word compromise was not
in our lexicon! I attended scores of
design meetings where a room full
of subject matter experts would
debate approaches and risk factors.
Everyone had their chance to pitch
their approach and defend it.
At the end of each session, there
was one single plan for moving forward. It often contained the best
ideas from many sources, but it was
ONE harmonious plan. There were
no winners or losers.
They key to winning the space
race was that once consensus was
reached, EVERYONE committed
to work on making that project a
success.
Adopting the business model of
consensus and collaboration in our
Federal government will require a
complete overhaul of all established
policies of developing acts of congress and unilateral executive actions. Undoing the practice of creating winners and losers has got to
stop, at any cost. If we can win the
space race, we can certainly win the
human race.
*****
Tom Taormina has written 12
books on leadership and business
success and is a long-time Nevada
resident.
WAAAHHH... but we don’t
wanna get arrested!
By Mike Ferner
As the macho, gun-toting, testosterone-addled cowboys who took
over the wildlife refuge in Oregon
call it quits, their pitiful whine can
be heard all the way to Florida:
“Waaahhh... but we don’t wanna get
arrested...”
So much for the rugged-individualists and badass proponents of
personal responsibility.
Let’s see what happens as their
armed insurrection winds down.
How will the system treat the militant bullyboys?
Will they get pepper-sprayed in
the face as did the college students
peacefully sitting in a driveway at
UC Davis during Occupy protests,
or shot in the head with a police
projectile as did Veterans For Peace
member Scott Olson in Oakland?
Will they get two months in jail
like Ed Kinane for stepping across
a line at the School of the Americas; or six months in jail like grandmother Mary Anne Grady, for taking pictures of demonstrators outside the Reaper drone base in upstate NY; or a $20,000 fine like
Kathy Kelly’s peace group, for taking medicine to people in Iraq before we invaded their country in
2003; or 10 years in prison for
speaking out against the madness
of World War One, like Gene Debs?
Will they be clubbed in the head,
set on by German shepherds,
slammed up against light poles by
fire hoses like the kids demonstrating for civil rights in Alabama, or
killed by vigilante executioners and
buried in a dike for registering voters?
If they go to jail, will they con-
duct a peaceful hunger strike and
endure force-feeding like Alice Paul
and Rose Winslow did for demanding women get the right to vote?
If they are arrested, chances are
very good that nothing like the
above will happen to any of the
massively-armed, good ol’ boys in
Oregon who would be the first to
tell you they were only making a
statement of conscience against
government gone amuck.
But when the students at UC
Davis, or Kathy Kelly, or Ed
Kinane, or Gene Debs, or the civil
rights protesters, or the suffragists,
all unarmed and committed to nonviolence, conducted their protests
they did so with the understanding
they may well suffer serious bodily
harm and at the very least be arrested and sentenced.
They treated the police, the prosecutors and the judges with utmost
respect. They did not plead to lesser
charges but underwent trials in
hopes of educating more people
about the evils against which they
fought.
So let’s see how the Rambo
wannabes of Eastern Oregon handle
themselves. Seems they could use
a few lessons in toughness from
nonviolent peace and justice activists.
Mike Ferner served as a hospital corpsman during the Viet Nam
war. In 2006 he participated in a
five-week, water-only fast with
Kathy Kelly and Ed Kinane to protest the war in Iraq and was also
convicted of two felonies for painting “Troops Out Now” on a highway overpass, which cost him two
months house arrest and $5,000.
Arnston retired due to ‘medical
reasons’ (Good move!) If convicted, he could face a maximum
of 15 years in prison. Felony Hit
and Run In Nevada now carries a
potential sentence of up to 20 years.
Those in command of passenger
jets, or any other form of public
transportation, have an obligation
to serve the public in the safest and
most responsible way possible,’
U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker
said.
“He’ll Never Fly Again!”
We cannot and will not tolerate
those who violate the trust of their
passengers by endangering lives.
The legal blood alcohol limit for
flying an aircraft is 0.04. (The same
as the limit for commercial drivers
in Nevada).
The Federal Aviation Regulation
(FAR) says that pilots should follow an ‘eight hours from bottle to
throttle’ rule. Wow I’m glad I
wasn’t on that flight!
*****
For more information regarding
Nevada laws, or if you feel your
rights have been violated, please
call Mace Yampolsky & Associates.
Call or text us at (702) 385-9777.
We are available 24/7 for emergencies. If you need help, CALL NOW
before it is too late. We can help!
Mace
Mitchell
than 70 percent of taxpayers who
do not itemize would face lower
combined federal and state income
tax burdens,” write Heritage researchers Rachel Greszler and
Kevin D. Dayaratna. “Additionally,
this could lower overall taxes for
some taxpayers who itemize but
who have relatively lower incomes
or live in lower-tax states.”
They concluded that the deductions subject federal tax revenues
to the whims of state lawmakers and
largely benefit wealthy taxpayers
and those in high-tax states.
“The rationale for it is that since
state and local taxes reduce individuals’ after-tax income, the income used to pay those taxes should
be excluded from federal taxation...” Greszler and Dayaratna
write. “In practice, however, the
deduction allows states to raise
taxes higher than they otherwise
would and has significant perverse
distributional impacts, redistributing income from the poor to the rich
and from people in low-tax states
to people in high-tax states. Despite
some efforts to eliminate it, the deduction for state and local taxes remains one of the largest deductions
in the federal tax code.”
Using 2010 statistical data from
the IRS, you find Californians who
filed for state and local income tax
deductions claimed deductions of
$10,700 per return. Nevadans who
filed for the state and local sales tax
deduction claimed only $1,430 per
return.
Calculated on a per capita basis,
Californians claimed $2,116 in federal income tax deductions, while
Nevadans claimed only $166 per
person for sales tax deductions.
*****
Thomas Mitchell is a former
newspaper editor who now writes
conservative/libertarian columns
for weekly papers in Nevada. You
may
email
Mitchell
at
[email protected]. He blogs
at http://4thst8.wordpress.com/.
have been done YEARS ago.
In conclusion, if Jose’s family
doesn’t want to go with him back
to his home country, that’s on Jose.
As Americans are taught growing
up, if you can’t do the time, don’t
do the crime.
*****
Apparently not all black
lives matter after all
Young black men in hoodies, not
cops, are giving young black men
in hoodies a bad name.
Regular readers will recall that
I got into a rather heated discussion/
argument with Nevada State Sen.
Aaron Ford recently over his linking in a tweet to a race-baiting column published by the Huffington
Post which gave advice to young
black men on how to avoid being
shot by racist police officers.
In “27 Things Every Black Person Must Learn Before Age 12,” the
race-hustling columnist advised
that “There’s a chance you could
be shot dead by the police before
you’re even arrested for anything”
and that you must “Recognize that
these lessons don’t apply to your
white friends.”
The columnist further warned,
“Do not wear hoodies,” and explained that “Your blackness will
always be the main thing that makes
you a threat.”
That bullsh*t column still p*sses
me off. Royally.
It’s not the hoodie or the young
black man’s skin color that makes
him a perceived threat.
It’s all the young black men
wearing hoodies who commit violent crimes that make young black
men wearing hoodies perceived
threats.
Case in point..
The Las Vegas Review-Journal
reported on a 28-year-old black father who was gunned down while
standing by his car in his apartment
complex parking lot recently.
His 7-year-old daughter, who
was bringing him some food, found
her father, who had been shot sev-
eral times, on the ground and bleeding.
The father of three died at the
hospital.
The shooter/killer/murderer
“was described as a thin, black male
in a black hoodie.”
No police officers were involved
in the shooting.
Which I can only assume is why
Sen. Ford has tweeted nothing
about it.
I guess not all black lives matter
after all.
But they should.
*****
Chuck Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, a non-profit public
policy grassroots advocacy organization. He may be reached by email
at [email protected].
Chuck Muth
ENTERTAINMENT
The Libre Mexican Cantina offers
a unique flavorful experience!
By Sandy Zimmerman
Las Vegas Tribune
Photos supplied by
Libre Mexican Cantina
Dine at the Libre Mexican Cantina if you
are ready to look at Mexican cuisine in a new
light. The Libre Mexican Cantina offers
Tacos, Carne Asada, Chili Rellenos,
Cerviche, Tortilla Soup, Salsa and other
Mexican favorites yet the secret is the way
Executive Chef Jesus “Chuy” Villegas prepares his Mexican cuisine. Chef “Chuy”
tweaks each dish by adding heat, wine or a
few surprise ingredients. You cannot deny
their mouthwatering tastes with each bite.
Chef “Chuy” uses his mother’s recipes which
he learned as a young man in Mexico.
Chef “Chuy” adds a few extra steps for
the Libre Mexican Cantina’s authentic Tortilla Soup. He concentrates on the broth by
boiling the roasted corn to accent the flavor.
An important ingredient, roasted chicken was
added for full-flavor as well as onions, carrots, celery, black beans and even Salsa Verde
inside the soup.
Among Chef “Chuy’s” other embellishments to his flavor-packed Tortilla Soup,
there’s the mild Guajillo Chilies and three red
De Arbol chilies for bold heat and subtle
smoky taste. He finished with sour cream,
pieces of tortillas and cheese. Chef “Chuy”
calls his soup, “super healthy.” “We can also
serve the Tortilla Soup Vegan or Vegetarianstyle.”
Now you can realize how much Chef
“Chuy” puts into each of Libre Mexican
Cantina’s dishes! His special touch makes the
difference.
At the Libre Mexican Cantina, Chef
Libre Mexican Cantina’s Executive Chef Jesus “Chuy” Villegas
“Chuy” only uses the best ingredients as we Many of his selections not only include
see in the Mini Crab Cerviche Tacos Appe- Mexican chilies but you will also find Thai
tizer. You can really taste the rich King Crab! and Japanese chilies for a unique indulgence
Signature Salsa with Roasted Tomatillo, Chili Arbot and Roasted Tomatoes.
of flavors. The Thai Sriracha chilies are an
exotic treat in the Cerviche sauce. (Sriracha
chilies are named after the coastal city of Si
Racha in eastern Thailand.)
Throughout the years, Jesus “Chuy”
Villegas’ combines his vast experience to create unique, one-of-a-kind cuisine at the Libre
Mexican Cantina.
In approximately, 1991 Chef Chuy found
his second mentor, celebrity Chef Mike
Shafer. With Chef Mike’s help, Chef Chuy
learned more about the job of creating an
experience in the kitchen, assisting Chef
Mike in opening three new restaurants and
developing their unique menus.
In 2007, a new opportunity arrived; Chef
Chuy was invited to work with a new mentor, Clique Hospitality Partner and Executive
Chef Brian Massie. This change brought Chef
Chuy the challenge of working within a new
culinary style while expanding his knowledge
of flavors, colors, textures, and combinations.
At this dynamic company with experienced
mentors and peers, Chef Chuy went from
Sous Chef, to Executive Sous Chef, Chef de
Cuisine and ultimately Executive Chef of
Diablo’s Cantina
Libre Mexican Cantina is located in the
Red Rock Casino Resort, 11011 W. Charleston Boulevard. www.librelasvegas.com
*****
Award-winning syndicated columnist
Sandy Zimmerman writes Show and Dining
reviews, travel, health, luxury and more.
Sandy is talk show host of the Las Vegas Today Show programs and Discover the Ultimate Vacation travel specials. If you wish
information or have questions about any of
Sandy’s articles, call (702) 731-6491.
Dessert
Hard Rock Hotel welcomes Rascal
Flatts with memorabilia case dedicaion
This Week
in Las Vegas
By Mike Kermani
By Mike Kermani
Las Vegas Tribune
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino welcomes multi-platinum selling trio
Rascal Flatts back to Las Vegas with
a memorabilia case dedication on
Tuesday, February 16. The unveiling marks the band’s official return
to the property for its second residency, Rascal Flatts Rhythm &
Roots, with special guest Barrett
Baber at The Joint. The nine-show
run takes place from Wednesday,
February 17 to Saturday, March 5.
Rascal Flatts band members:
Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney, Jay
DeMarcus, Chas Smith, vice president of entertainment at Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino. The show runs
from February 17 to March 5, at the
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 4455
Paradise Road.
The Rascal Flatts Rhythm &
Roots nine-show residency with
special guest Barrett Baber takes
places at The Joint from Wednesday, Feb. 17 to Saturday, March 5.
Tickets to the shows start at
$39.95 (plus applicable service
fees) and are on sale at the Hard
Rock Hotel Box Office, online at
www.axs.com/rascalflattsvegas or
by calling 888.9.AXS.TIX. For VIP
ticket packages including premium
seating options, please contact
[email protected]. For
groups of 12 or more, please call
702.693.4017
or
contact
[email protected].
*****
IMAGINE DRAGONS
IN CONCERT:
SMOKE + MIRRORS
The Imagine Dragons in Concert: Smoke + Mirrors film will be
shown in Regal Village Square on
March 2nd, 2016.
The band is Las Vegas based,
filmed as part of their current world
tour, the set list features hits such
as Demons, I Bet My Life and the
Grammy Award-winning Radioactive from their platinum-selling debut album Night Visions.
This visually stunning concert,
directed by Dick Carruthers (Led
Zeppelin, The Killers, Oasis,
Beyonce) was captured in front of
15,000 fans in Toronto, Canada and
is a one of a kind experience for
Imagine Dragons fans and beyond.
Bringing it to theaters allows fans
the chance to re-live the experience
and see the band up-close and personal on the big screen.
Also for those who were not able
to make a live show, now is the
chance for them to experience the
concert from the comfort of their
nearest theater with friends, family and other like-minded fans.
*****
DB BRASSERIE
SPECIAL TASTING OF
DUCK AND TRUFFLES
db Brasserie, located in The Venetian Las Vegas, proudly announces a new, bi-monthly seasonal tasting menu. The special
menu will be featured for a week
during that time frame and will center around one or two seasonal selections. The first tasting will celebrate the end of winter, A Celebration of Duck and Truffles. The
menu will run from Monday, Feb.
22 until Sunday, Feb. 28 beginning
at 5 p.m. nightly. The multi-course
menu is available for $99 per person, excluding tax and gratuity.
Reservations are recommended by
calling 702-430-1235.
A Celebration of Duck and
Truffles Tasting Menu:
First Course — MARBLE OF
FOIE GRAS AU TORCHON AND
PERIGORD TRUFFLES — Petite
greens, duck prosciutto, walnut
vinaigrette
Second Course — DOUBLE
DUCK CONSOMMÉ — Soft root
vegetables, black trumpet mushrooms, shaved truffles
Third Course — PITHIVIER
OF DUCK CONFIT AND
SEARED HUDSON VALLEY FOIE
GRAS — Sunchokes mousseline,
black truffles condiment
Main Course — MOULARD
DUCK A L’ORANGE — Braised
Belgium endives, salardaise potatoes, triple sec gastrique
Dessert
—
“GÂTEAU
BASQUE” — Armagnac cherries
crème glacée.
*****
LIBRE MEXICAN CANTINA
IS NOW OPEN
Red Rock Resort and its culinary management partner Clique
Hospitality are excited to announce
their newest venture, Libre Mexican Cantina, is now open to the
public. Libre will take center stage
as Red Rock Resort’s newest dining venue, strategically located between Hearthstone Kitchen & Cellar and Salute Trattoria Italiana.
Andy Masi, CEO of Clique Hospitality and Alessandro Munge of
Munge Studios have redesigned the
restaurant with classic Spanish
style colors, archways and tiles,
while including a modern, 21st century feel with brightly painted
Luchador character murals on the
walls.
Award-winning Chef Brian
Massie and introducing Chef Jesus
“Chuy” have curated a bold menu
of traditional south of the border
favorites
including
zesty
guacamole, tasteful tacos, enormous enchiladas and more. The restaurant will be offering a plate for
every palate that includes a diversified selection of both gluten free
and vegan options, such as the Chili
Rellanos, Grilled Portobello Tacos,
Vegan nachos, Coconut and Shrimp
Ceviche, and Street Tacos. The refreshing menu of classic Mexican
dishes with a modern twist is bound
to attract every appetite with the
endless options of unique and delectable dishes.
To kick off the opening, Libre is
hosting Taco & Tequila Tuesdays
with all you can eat tacos and tequila shots for $24 and a contest to
win free tacos for a year. Libre will
also be rolling out their Happy Hour
menu daily from 4pm–6pm with,
featuring $5 cocktails and $4 draft
beers.
Libre is open 4pm–11pm daily.
For more information on the contest and promotional nights, please
visit: www.librelasvegas.com. Reservations can be made by calling
702.797.7609
*****
THE RECORD COMPANY
BAND PLAYING
BROOKLYN BOWL
LA band The Record Company
is playing in your area at Brooklyn
Bowl on March 1. This show is part
of the Record Companies’ 2016
tour supporting their first fulllength album Give it Back to You,
which was released by Concord on
February 12.
Time Out Los Angeles said it best
when they described them as “reminiscent of some of the best acts of
the ‘50s and ‘60s-like if John Lee
Hooker and the Stooges had a wellbehaved love child.”
*****
THE ENCLAVE’S NEW
DIRECTOR OF MEETINGS
AND SPECIAL EVENTS
BRAND NEW LAS VEGAS
EVENT VENUE OVERSEES
DEVELOPMENT
Enclave announced that Heather
Coldwell has joined the Enclave
team as the Director of Meetings
and Special Events. Heather
Coldwell comes with a wealth of
experience within the industry, having spent the last ten years at big
name companies like Wynn Encore
Las Vegas, Block 16 Hospitality,
Minus 5 and Hard Rock where she
played an instrumental role in sales
and business development. Joining
in advance of the launch of the Enclave, Heather will oversee the development and implement strategy
for maximum success of events.
With her most recent venture at
Wynn Encore Las Vegas, Heather
was the Director of Restaurant
Events where she oversaw all aspects of restaurant group sales for
17 restaurants and lounges. This
experience will transition into her
role at Enclave for all event bookings that will include, but not limited to execution of catering, staff
management, directing vendors,
live entertainment for private events
and much more. Heather comments, “I am excited to start a new
challenge with the Enclave and
work with this terrific team. Enclave will be an amazing new addition to Las Vegas and promises
some new and exciting upcoming
concepts for events.”
Eli Stearns, one of the Managing Partners of the Enclave leadership team said “We conducted a
very expansive and lengthy search
process for our Director position,
understanding that our people is the
biggest key to success. In Heather,
we found the perfect candidate to
lead this new venture. She has great
relationships in Las Vegas and years
of experience at managing and leading teams in the events world. We
are thrilled to have her on our
team.”
The Enclave is a full service,
75,000 square feet event venue facility in Las Vegas with event
spaces for corporate meetings, conferences, trade shows, weddings &
receptions, broadcasting events,
training facilities and live entertainment. It is conveniently located
within 1 mile of McCarran airport
and 4 miles of the Las Vegas strip.
It is proudly presented by 3G Productions Inc., who will also move
their headquarters and warehouse
into the same building, and provide
all AV and production support for
the Enclave.
For more information about Enclave please visit http://
www.enclavelv.com/
Mike Kermani is an entertainment writer for the Las Vegas Tribune newspaper. He writes a weekly
column in this newspaper. To contact Mike Kermani, email
mkermani@ lasvegas tribune.com
Clint Holmes draws a “StandingRoom-Only” crowd at the F.I.O.R.E.
By the Ubiquitous and Peripatetic
Las Vegas Tribune Roving Reporter
Photos by Dave “Bananas” Williams
and Lorraine Thompson Sardelli
Every second Thursday of the month, at lunchtime, something special
happens at the Italian America Club.
No, it is not “all the pasta and scungilli you can eat for a dollar”; that
would be great, but that’s not it.
Every second Thursday of every month, unless they change their mind,
the now world famous Non Club Club F.I.O.R.E. holds its luncheon/event
and one never knows who is going to drop by. Not even The Shadow
knows!
But you can be sure that no one will walk out disappointed or dissatisfied.
This 12-year-old “off the wall” group has been religiously meeting for
lunch for no other reason or purpose than that of having some laughs,
enjoying some great food, hearing great live music, sharing a spirit of
camaraderie and being witness to some of the greatly entertaining and/or
thought-provoking programs.
The tradition in excellence continued in classic style this past Thursday, when the guest speaker was Clint Holmes.
The nearly two hundred members and guests present were delighted
with Clint’s presentation. He spoke from the heart and, in true fashion,
touched the hearts of everyone in attendance. While just speaking about
his life, upbringing, personal experiences and career, his magnetism and
talent totally held the attention of the audience, who was taken into a
journey of multiple emotions.
Like other great community leaders, entertainers, doctors and judges,
etc., who have been guest speakers at the F.I.O.R.E, Clint Holmes has
helped enormously in the validation and popularity of this Group.
The F.I.O.R.E. appreciates having the privilege of such a distinguished
guest of honor.
To learn more about this organization, please visit their web site:
www.nonclunclucfiore.com and go to its “about us” page.
Entertainer Clint Holmes.
Speaking from the heart.
Clint receives a “special gift” from the club.
Sandra Marnell, Joe DeBlase and Conrad Villella
greeting and distributing chocolate and flowers.
Dr. George Ritter helping with the gift give-a-ways.
The “Standing Room Only” crowd.
Clint Holmes draws a “SRO” crowd at the F.I.O.R.E.
Robert Beale, of “Bottoms Up” fame, (center)
with Mrs. and Mr. Brian Abbott
F.I.O.R.E. Sgt. of Arms, David Adolph,
pretty Sandra Marnell and smiling Conrad Villella.
Lovely ladies from Palm Beach, Florida, Valeria Christopher and
Sunny Sussa with charming gentleman from Pittsburgh, Marty Allen.
Dr. Lonnie Hammargren and Samatha Kolari.
Nelson Sardelli, Kelly and Clint Holmes hovering over Marty Allen.
F.I.O.R.E. secretary and girl
Friday, Betty Smith.
The Ross Brothers, entrepreneurs extraordinaire and Mojgan Rahbanoff.
Beautiful People. Maxine Gaines
and columnist Esther Lynn.
President of the Las Vegas Railroad Society,
Trudy Platzer, Tom Collins and Phree Bartley.
Don and Gloria Hill.
Marty Allen, Kelly and Clint Holmes
Nelson Sardelli, Chef Salada, Ira Steinberg and Sharon Graziano.
Lovely Susan Houston (on the right)
with lovely lady that covered her name tag (on the left)
A visitor from Beijing, China,
Dana Wei Wei and Joe DeBlase.
Oh, we almost forgot to mention that it was the F.I.O.R.E. Valentine’s Luncheon.
Newlyweds Nelson and Lorraine Sardelli.... so there.
Eclectic Dana Leong Trio to perform Feb. 20
By Jerry Fink
Las Vegas Tribune
For an amazing musical experience, check out the Dana Leon Trio
performance at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 20,
at the historic Fifth Street School,
401 S. 4th St.
Tickets are $10 in advance and
$15 at the door.
To buy tickets call 702-229ARTS or go to artslasvegas.org.
Leong has been described as a
“hi-def Yo-Yo Ma.”
Composer, cellist and trombonist, he blends jazz, classical and
pop.
Leong’s pioneering collage of
musical styles has garnered critical
acclaim and wowed audiences
around the world.
*****
JOE SATRIANI BRINGS
“SURFING TO
SHOCKWAVE”
TO THE PEARL
Guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani
brings his retrospective tour “Surfing to Shockwave” to The Pearl inside Palms Casino Resort on March
4, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $43, plus
any additional service fees.
In 1986 Joe Satriani released his
first solo album through Relativity
Records, Not of This Earth . Fastforward to this year when Satriani
released his 15th solo album,
Shockwave Supernova to amazing
critical acclaim.
To mark this major milestone
anniversary, Satriani will bring to
life the Surfing to Shockwave”
2016 Tour, an evening spotlighting
his 30-year career. The 45-date tour
celebrating 30 years of mind-bending guitar daredevilry, will highlight
music over Satriani’s entire career,
including songs the legendary guitarist hasn’t played live in more than
20 years.
This August, the world renowned guitarist released his 15th
studio album, hitting his highest
chart debut at No. 19 on Billboard
’s Top 200 Current Albums Chart.
In addition, the album also debuted
at No. 3 on the Billboard Rock
Chart and ranks as the highest charting all-instrumental rock album on
Billboard ’s Top 200 in the
soundscan era.
For two decades, the guitar virtuoso has traveled the world, playing to sold-out crowds as both a
headliner and as founder of the allstar “G3” guitar extravaganza. His
studio and live recordings have sold
more than 10 million copies worldwide to date and of his many solo
albums, two have gone platinum
and four others went gold, with 15
Grammy nominations between
them.
His side project, Chickenfoot,
featuring former Van Halen front
man Sammy Hagar, former bassist
Michael Anthony and Red Hot Chili
Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith saw
their debut album certified gold and
their second studio album debuted
at No. 9.
Satriani’s touring band remains
Marco Minnemann on drums,
Bryan Beller on bass and Mike
Keneally on keys and guitar.
Doors at The Pearl will open at
7 p.m. and show time is 8 p.m. The
Pearl Box Office is open daily from
noon until 7 p.m. with extended
hours on select event days. Follow
The Pearl on Twitter at
@PearlatPalms or on Facebook for
concert announcements, event information and exclusive venue
presale information.
*****
MOB MUSEUM
ANNOUNCES EXTENDS
HOURS OF OPERATION
The Mob Museum, the National
Museum of Organized Crime and
Law Enforcement, announces its
operating hours for 2016.
From February 13 through Labor Day (September 5), hours will
be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Hours will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
daily from September 6 through
December 31.
Happy Hour Pricing will be
available daily after 5 p.m. Locals
will receive free parking.
Parking is available in the lot
next to The Mob Museum and is
free for the first three hours and can
be validated with ticket redemption.
Non-locals will receive $5 off
regular admission. All visitors will
enjoy half-price alcoholic beverages from the Museum’s bar from
5 to 9 p.m. On April 8, 15, 22 and
29, guests will also enjoy complimentary jazz performances at the
Museum from 7-9 p.m.
In addition, the Museum will
offer special evening artifact presentations nightly from 6 to 8 p.m.
Called “These Things of Ours: Objects After Dark,” each evening will
provide a chance for visitors to
learn about behind-the-scenes objects, photos and documents not on
regular display at the Museum.
These Things of Ours: Objects After Dark presentations are free with
Museum admission and free for
Museum Members.
2016 Single Admission
to the Mob Museum:
—Adults (18+) Online: $19.95
—Adults (18+) Box Office:
$23.95
—Nevada Residents w/ I.D.:
$13.95
—Seniors (65+), Military, Law
Enforcement, Teachers w/ I.D.:
$17.95
—Local Seniors (65+), Military,
Law Enforcement, Teachers w/
I.D.: $11.95
—Children (11-17 w/ I.D.) and
Students (18-23 w/ I.D.): $13.95
—Local Children (11-17 w/
I.D.) and Students (18-23 w/ I.D.):
$10.00
—Children (10 and under): Free
—Unlimited Annual Pass:
$30.00 and up
—Group Admission to the Mob
Museum:
—Group (10 people or more):
$15.95
—Local Group (10 people or
more): $10.00
—Local Student Groups (10 students or more): $8.00
For combination tickets, call The
Mob Museum Box Office at (702)
229-2734.
*****
SPEEDVEGAS TRACK TO
OPEN MARCH 2016
SPEEDVEGAS will start its engines come March 2016, when the
1.5-mile supercar track at Las Vegas’ newest and most thrilling attraction opens for business.
By May 2016, the entire $30
million motorsports complex — including a multilevel welcome center, event center with a capacity of
up to 1,000 guests, café and much
more — will be complete.
The 100-acre supercar driving
experience broke ground in September 2015.
Designed for the truly global
audience that comprises Las Vegas’
more than 40 million annual visitors, SPEEDVEGAS will be a destination for not only exotic car enthusiasts, but also anyone and everyone seeking an exhilarating,
only-in-Vegas-style experience.
An onsite meetings and events
facility means SPEEDVEGAS
stands poised to accommodate not
only leisure visitors, but also corporate and incentive group business
with ease.
Keeping in mind the Las Vegas
Convention
and
Visitors
Authority’s (LVCVA) stated goal of
growing international visitation to
the destination to 30 percent by the
end of the decade, SPEEDVEGAS
sought expert input from an international panel of travel and tourism
experts in the development of its
design.
Plans incorporated input gleaned
from a focus group SPEEDVEGAS
hosted composed of leading professionals from the LVCVA, international tour operators from UK,
Latin America and Asia, along with
meeting and event planners.
For example, participants recommended shuttle service from the
Las Vegas Strip, an option to be
driven in the car instead of driving
and flexibility to arrive at the visitors leisure instead of committing
to a specific time and car.
“We listened to our customers
and industry colleagues to create
the ultimate experience,” explained
Aaron Fessler, founder and chief
executive officer, SPEEDVEGAS.
“It’s critical we stay nimble and
able to accommodate different cultures. It’s also essential we offer
ample and flexible space for groups.
After all, the LVCVA’s emphasis on
growing Las Vegas’ profile as an
international destination and a global business hub demanded it.”
The destination will offer an entire speed experience with activities
such as drifting, demonstrations,
simulators and driving the world’s
most sought-after exotic and
muscle cars.
ABOUT SPEEDVEGAS
SPEEDVEGAS is the new,
award-winning
100-acre
motorsports complex opening in
March 2016 in Las Vegas.
Guests at SPEEDVEGAS experience the world’s most sought-after muscle cars and exotic supercars
from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi,
Corvette and more.
The $30 million SPEEDVEGAS
experience features an impressive
1.5 mile (2.4 km) Formula One-inspired racetrack comparable to top
circuits in the world and includes
12 sweeping turns, 15 degree
banked turns, 60 feet of total elevation change and a half-mile straightaway.
In addition, the 20,000 square
feet, 2-story welcome center features indoor and outdoor observation decks, food and beverage selections at a well-appointed cafe,
meetings and event space and much
more. SPEEDVEGAS is located on
Las Vegas Boulevard South, just 10
minutes from the world-famous
“Welcome to Las Vegas” sign (Exit
25 on Interstate 15).
Learn more at speedvegas.com,
Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.
*****
THE IMPROV AT HARRAH’S:
FEBRUARY 16–21
The world-famous Improv at
Harrah’s Las Vegas is the longestrunning comedy club on the Las
Vegas Strip. The Improv’s ability to
showcase young comedians, as well
as bring in big names, has attributed to its longevity and success .
Each week, The Improv showcases some of the funniest and
freshest faces in comedy, creating
a show that is always unique and
definitely funny. The comedians
who will perform February 16–21
are:
John Caponera: John Caponera
is considered a comic’s comic, offering a mix of material from impressions to characterizations to
stories and one liners. Caponera can
be recognized as the star of his
sitcom “The Good Life” or as the
host of Comedy Central’s sport
show, “Jocks” and ESPN’s “Talk
II.” Other credits include guest star
appearances on “ER,” “The Tonight
Show,” “The Dennis Miller Show,”
“L.A. Law” and “The Drew Carey
Show.”
Ronnie Schell: Comedian
Ronnie Schell’s first choice of careers was to play professional baseball. He got as far as the semis before enlisting in the Air Force,
where he performed in variety
shows, as both an emcee and comedian. Schell has appeared on
“Charlie’s Angels,” “Saved by the
Bell,” “The Dukes of Hazzard” and
“The Andy Griffith Show.” Schell
has continued to perform in comedy clubs across the country and as
a voice artist on TV, radio, films,
commercials and especially,
Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
Sam Johnson: Witty, candid,
and raw, Boston native Samaria
“Sam” Johnson brings a brand of
comedy that has yet to be seen. She
was invited to the 2013 Laugh Your
Asheville Off Comedy Festival and
the 2014 Women In Comedy Festival. Johnson has also opened for
power house veteran comedy acts
like Joe Clair, Hannibal Burress and
Rob Stapleton.
Shows are at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday
through Sunday with an additional
show at 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Tickets start at $30.50 (plus applicable taxes and fees). VIP tickets include special seating, an
Improv T-shirt and post-show meetand-greet with the comics. Special
two-for-one tickets are also available for locals for the 10 p.m. show.
Tickets are available at Harrah’s
Box Office 702-369-5223 and
online
at
the
website
www.harrahslasvegas.com.
Jerry Fink is an entertainment
columnist for the Las Vegas Tribune
newspaper and writes a weekly column. To contact Fink, email him at
jfink@ lasvegastribune.com.
CITY BEAT
Meadows Mall salutes youth
volunteers for exceptional
community service
More than 30 teen girls and boys
from area high schools will be feted
for their community service by participating in a special runway show
at Meadows Mall wearing fashions
by Macy’s. The teens, along with
their mothers, are members of the
National Charity League and Young
Men’s Service League (YMSL) Las
Vegas Chapters and have collectively performed thousands of
hours of community service at dozens of non-profit organizations in
our community. NCL’s mission is
to promote volunteerism, cultivate
leadership and provide an opportunity for mothers and teen daughters
to forge a bond through service.
YMSL, established in Texas, encourages young men and their
mothers to improve their relationship by pursuing philanthropic opportunities in their community.
The show is free to the public
with special reserved seating for
NCL and YMSL members. The runway show is underwritten by Meadows Mall and its owner, General
Growth Properties, to showcase the
good works of outstanding teens in
our community.
According to Chris White, general manager, Meadows Mall, the
opportunity to participate in a professional runway show is a fun perk
for great kids who are doing meaningful things in our community.
“We are delighted to honor this
group of outstanding teens who,
through their many hours of service,
are making a difference in Las Vegas,” he said.
WHEN: Saturday, February 20,
2016 — Macy’s Court, 2 p.m.
WHERE: Meadows Mall, 4300
Meadows Lane, Las Vegas, NV
89107
*****
Veteran Ready Veteran Job
Fair at CSN on March 16th
Veteran Ready is holding a free
veteran job fair with the support of
the City of Las Vegas Veterans
Community Commission and the
College of Southern Nevada on
Wednesday, March 16, 2016.
This event is open to
transitioning active duty, veterans,
members of the Guard and Reserves, and military spouses. Employers with immediate hiring
needs are welcome to register for
free. Job seekers and employers can
register by visiting the Veteran
Ready at www.VeteranReady.com
or by emailing direct at
[email protected] for a
link to the event registration page.
Veterans and spouses are expected to wear business/interview
ready attire. Employers are asked
to prescreen job seekers during the
event. Ambassadors will be on hand
during the event to introduce
transitioning veterans to relevant
recruiters.
WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday,
March 16, 2016 from 10 AM to 1
PM inside the June Whitley Student
Lounge at its North Las Vegas campus, 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave.
*****
Eastridge is Now Hiring
for Multiple Positions!
Eastridge Workforce Solutions
is hiring multiple positions for Immediate Hire! Join us for our Hiring Event on Tuesday, February
23rd from 1:00 PM-4:00 PM PST.
Hiring Managers will be on site to
interview!
Location: Goodwill Cheyenne,
1280 West Cheyenne Ave., North
Las Vegas (Cheyenne & MLK)
Available Positions
Warehouse Laborers/Production Workers $9 - $10
Minimum 1 year experience and
good work ethic with resume. Some
Production companies require
health card.
Forklift Operators — Certified $11-$12
Minimum 3 years experience,
consistent job history. Must have resume.
Dishwashers, Banquet Set-up/
Break Down $9-$11
Must have Health cards
Servers (Banquets) $10-$15
Minimum 2-3 years experience,
great customer service skills and
great personality. Must have health
card and TAM card.
Cooks (Banquets) $12-$15
Must have experience, chef coat
and own tools a plus. Must have
health card.
Laundry Laborers — $10
Must be able to stand 8-10 hours
per shift — Various shifts, various
positions — Tie Out, Soil Sorter,
Restaurant, Sheets, Utility, Washer/
Dryer. Must be reliable and flexible
for work schedules — prior experience a plus.
Must be able to pass background
and drug tests. Assignments can be
all through the valley and
Henderson. Must apply at Goodwill. Jobs before the event to be interviewed. Must bring resume.
*****
City of Las Vegas Cultural
Arts February 2016
Calendar of Events
PROGRAMS SUBJECT
TO CHANGE
Brass Roots Quintet
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2 p.m.
Free and open to the public.
Charleston Heights Arts Center,
800 S. Brush St., 702-229-6383.
Led by accomplished musician
Walt Boenig, this group of experienced musicians perform lively,
fun-filled music spanning decades.
This concert experience will have
a wide-ranging repertoire that embraces both the classical and contemporary styles of music. Their
casual performance style presents
music that the entire family can
enjoy. The five musicians are longtime Las Vegas professionals and
include trumpeters Gary Cordell
and Tom Wright, trombonist Walter
Boenig, Doug Beasley on French
horn, and Dan Ulrich on tuba.
Walter Boenig toured with the
Glenn Miller and Harry James orchestras before performing in local
showrooms and forming his own
band more than 20 years ago. Gary
Cordell has performed with the
Nevada Symphony, Nevada Chamber Orchestra and Nevada Opera
Theatre in addition to his work in
local hotel orchestras. He is also
active in several Latin Bands. Tom
Wright has played with numerous
brass quintets, symphonies, and
opera companies. Doug Beasley is
a member of the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Symphonic Band. Dan
Ulrich is a veteran Las Vegas musician who has performed with local symphonies, showroom orchestras and with the Broadway musical “Chicago.”
For tickets and information visit
www.artslasvegas.org or call 702229-6383.
***
SONSHIP — A Ritual Passage
to Manhood “Crossing Over”
Graduation Ceremony
Facilitated by Yusef Sudah, Al
Gourrier, Ph.D., and Alfatari
Richards
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2 to 4 p.m.
West Las Vegas Library Theatre,
951 W. Lake Mead Blvd. 702-5073989.
Join the community celebration
to share the meaning of
“SONSHIP,” embracing and acknowledging the accomplishments
of the SONSHIP — A Ritual Passage To Manhood (Boys) Fall 2015
Graduates. Cosponsored by Las
Vegas–Clark County Library District. For more information, call
702-229-4800 or 702-507-3989, or
visit www.artslasvegas.org.
***
Native Son Read-A-Thon
Sunday, Feb. 28, 2 to 4:30 p.m.
West Las Vegas Library Theatre,
951 W. Lake Mead Blvd. 702-5073989.
Join in the Native Son Read-AThon, an African-American history
and cultural activity purposed to
bring together African-American
families and the diverse collective
community for a cultural, historybased educational experience. The
event will illuminate the fact that
there are many African-American
writers of whom we can be proud
and driving home the point that
reading is a high priority for many
successful African-Americans.
This interactive cultural activity
and communal exchange engages
participants to read or recite African-American literature and history.
Facilitated by Al Gourrier, Ph.D.,
and cosponsored by The Sam Smith
Educational Foundation, The Gathering, Rodney Smith and Las Vegas — Clark County Library District. For more information, call
702-229-4800 or 702-507-3989, or
visit www.artslasvegas.org.
The things the amazing
Marty Allen does not know
By Nelson Sardelli
Photos by Nelson Sardelli
My friend, Marty Allen, is unquestionably a true American showbusiness icon; an innate showman,
a multi-talented performer, an
American war hero, an author, a
kind, considerate, sincere and wellread man. Yet with all of this, he
clearly does not know the meaning
of the word octogenarian, much less
nonagenarian... and obviously, he
doesn’t want to be bothered with
their meaning either.
I just drove to the Pahrump Nugget, some 50 plus miles from Las
Vegas, to catch his show with his
co-star Karon Kate Blackwell, who
happens to be his wife, straightwoman and musical partner.
WOW!!! What a show!!!
For one and a half hours their
performance enthralled the standing-room-only audience, composed
of dedicated old fans and pleasantly
surprised new ones. I felt as if I
were both.
Marty will be 94 years old in just
a few weeks... For many decades
The perennially young and energetic Marty Allen
he has been a powerful force to be what a gift those mornings are. So
reckoned with in all facets of the comfortable, I feared as if I may
business; A dancer, singer, actor, a have taken for granted the magnicomedic genius and, most of all, an tude of the man.
inspiration.
The drive to Pahrump brought
Marty, along with me and a few me back to reality. I am privileged
friends, have, for quite a few years, to have the honor to have Marty
enjoyed brunch together every Sat- Allen as a dear and close friend.
urday. It suddenly dawned on me, I
I hope some of his blessings rub
had almost become unaware of off on me.
“Hi, my name is Buddy.”
“Is that what a
‘Nonogenarian’ means?”
And eat your heart out
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers...
A well deserved reaction.
&
HEALTH LIFESTYLES
Las Vegas Fire & Rescue received
equipment donation for training exercises
By Sandy Zimmerman
Las Vegas Tribune
Photos by Firehouse
The Firehouse Subs Public
Safety Foundation arranged a
$27,490 equipment grant donation
event to award Las Vegas Fire &
Rescue with forcible entry doors to
be used as part of their future training exercises.
The Las Vegas Fire & Rescue
department were at the Firehouse
Subs, 4761 Maryland Parkway, to
provide demonstrations of the
equipment and thank the community for their contributions.
Attendees include local
firefighters, Firehouse Subs Area
Representatives Mark and Jennifer
Cowan, Firehouse Subs Franchisees Robert Hosbrook and Cynthia
Hosbrook, and Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation Executive
Director Robin Peters.
DONATION DESCRIPTION:
Las Vegas Fire & Rescue received four forcible entry doors
worth $27,490. The awarded doors
will be used during training exercises, helping ensure firefighters are
prepared to enter burning buildings
and rescue victims quickly and
safely.
ABOUT FIREHOUSE
SUBS PUBLIC SAFETY
FOUNDATION:
In 2005, Firehouse Subs created
the Firehouse Subs Public Safety
Foundation with the mission of providing funding, life-saving equipment, and educational opportunities
to first-responders and public safety
organizations. Through the nonprofit 501(c)(3), Firehouse Subs
Public Safety Foundation has given
more than $17 million to hometown
heroes in 44 states and Puerto Rico,
including more than $191,000 in
Nevada.
IN-RESTAURANT
FUNDRAISING INITIATIVES:
Each restaurant recycles leftover, five-gallon pickle buckets,
available to guests for a $2 donation to the Foundation. Donation
canisters on register counters explain the non-profit’s mission and
collect spare change, while the
Round Up Program allows guests
to “round up” their bill to the nearest dollar. All funds raised benefit
the Foundation.
Las Vegas Fire & Rescue is an
I.S.O. Class One fire department as
well as an accredited agency by the
Commission on Fire Accreditation
International. The department provides all fire suppression, prevention and education programs in the
city as well as paramedic emergency medical services to the residents and visitors of the Las Vegas
community.
In addition, the department also
has a Bomb Squad, Hazardous
Materials Team and Technical Rescue Team that provides services for
the city as well as the rest of Clark
County. The Fire Alarm Office/Fire
& Medical 9-1-1 Center is also located at Las Vegas Fire & Rescue.
On June 6, 1905 the newly
founded city of Las Vegas had its
first fire when four buildings
burned. In 1907 city ordinance established the Las Vegas Volunteer
Fire Department (LVFD). As the
city grew, so did the requests for
service from LVFD so on Aug. 1,
1942, the department hired its first
full time members: one fire chief
and 12 firefighters. In 1999 city
ordinance changed the name of the
department from Las Vegas Fire
Department to Las Vegas Fire &
Rescue.
Today Las Vegas Fire & Rescue
(LVFR) protects a city that covers
133.25 square miles (including
large Clark County “islands”),
nearly 610,000 residents and several million visitors each year.
LVFR is an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Class One department
and is an Internationally Accredited
Agency by the Commission on Fire
Accreditation International.
*****
Award-winning syndicated columnist Sandy Zimmerman writes
Show and Dining reviews, travel,
health, luxury and more. Sandy is
talk show host of the Las Vegas Today Show programs and Discover
the Ultimate Vacation travel specials. If you wish information or
have questions about any of Sandy’s
articles, call (702) 731-6491.
25 Leadership Quotes to Live and Lead By
By Doug Dickerson
I’ve been a student of leadership
for more than 30 years. I’ve written four books on leadership. It’s
my passion and it runs deep.
This week I’d like to share some
of my favorite leadership quotes
with you. Narrowing it down to just
25 was a challenge because there
are so many good ones. In no particular order here they are- enjoy.
1. “The first responsibility of a
leader is to define reality. The last
is to say thank you. In between, the
leader is a servant.” — Max DePree
Serving others is the cardinal
point of leadership.
2. “Never doubt that a small
group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change world. Indeed it is
the only thing that ever has.” —
Margaret Mead
Leaders can accomplish a lot
more with a team than they can by
themselves.
3. “Become the kind of leader
that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position.” — Brian Tracy
True leaders understand that it’s
not about titles.
4. “A man who wants to lead the
orchestra must turn his back on the
crowd.” — Max Lucado
As a leader you have to be willing to stand alone.
5. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do
more and become more, you are a
leader.” — John Quincy Adams
DOUG DICKERSON
Your actions should always inspire and bring out the best in others.
6. “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character.
But if you must be without one, be
without the strategy.” — Norman
Schwarzkopf
Character is the most important
quality in leadership.
7. “The greatest leaders mobilize
others by coalescing people around
a shared vision.” — Ken Blanchard
When leaders put forth a compelling vision people will follow.
8. “Management is doing things
right; leadership is doing the right
things.” — Peter Drucker
Management is easy; leadership
is hard. Be a leader.
9. “Leadership and learning are
indispensable to each other.” —
John F. Kennedy
Leaders never stop learning,
“Unexpected Heroes”
Stories of Love and Sacrifice
in the Face of Addiction
Special to the Las Vegas Tribune
“Unexpected Heroes” is a compelling collection of sixty-four true
stories by mothers, all members of
a support group called “The
Addict’s Mom,” who were faced
with no other choice than to step
directly into the line of fire to save
the most innocent victims of the war
against drugs: their grandchildren.
The reader is offered a unique
opportunity to better understand the
strength of women who persevered
despite the devastation of addiction
on their families.
These women possess courage,
determination and an unwavering
hope for successful life outcomes
for their precious grandchildren.
When most parents realize their
children are abusing drugs, they
usually react with absolute shock.
This is what happens to “other”
people and not them. Many of their
children, after all, come from great
loving homes in good neighborhoods
“Blind-Sided”
We had just collected our daughter and her belongings from college
and drove hours towards home and
the local hospital. As we quietly
rode the empty elevator, I felt like I
was having an out-of-body experience when we stopped at the floor
labeled “Chemical Dependency
Treatment.”
I never imagined anyone from
our family would be here and desperately hoped I wouldn’t see anyone I knew. I didn’t want to have to
explain a thing, at least not yet. After following a few winding corridors, we reached the front desk. The
receptionist was very friendly and
asked if we’d like water or coffee
while we waited for a counselor.
I’d rather have a new life. Little
did I know, that’s exactly what I
would get. Our daughter entered the
nine-month outpatient treatment
program but it didn’t stick. She
graduated from cocaine to meth,
spent the next four years in drug
houses and on the street when she
discovered she was pregnant. She
stopped her drug use and became
responsible in light of pending
motherhood.
When we were convinced she
was sober, we invited her home to
live with us and we soon became a
three-parent family. Life was won-
growing, and developing.
10. “Good leadership consists of
showing average people how to do
the work of superior people.” —
John D. Rockefeller
Leaders inspire others to do
great things.
11. “Leadership is unlocking
people’s potential to become better.” — Bill Bradley
Leaders inspire others to be better people.
12. “Leadership is the capacity
to translate vision into reality.” —
Warren Bennis
A leader will help others connect
the dots and see where they are going.
13. “Talent is God given. Be
humble. Fame is man-given. Be
grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be
careful.” — John Wooden
The mark of a good leader is
humility and in recognizing where
all gifts come from.
14. “The leader is the one who
climbs the tallest tree, surveys the
entire situation, and yells, “Wrong
jungle!”” — Stephen R. Covey
Leaders are not afraid to admit
their mistakes. Keep charging!
15. “I learned that if you aren’t
willing to put yourself in “this is
crazy” situations, you’ll never experience “this is awesome” moments.” — Mark Batterson
Leaders are willing to take risks
to achieve their goals and dreams.
16. “The race to be a leader is
crowded, but the field is wide open
for those willing to be servants.” —
Rick Warren
Servant leadership is the essence
of true leadership.
17. “Your present circumstances
don’t determine where you can go,
they merely determine where you
start.” — Nido Qubein
Never underestimate your Godgiven talents and abilities.
18. “You’re the same today as
you’ll be in five years except for
two things: the people you meet and
the books you read.” — Charlie
“Tremendous” Jones
Broaden your circle and never
stop growing.
19. “A good head and a good
heart are always a formidable combination.” — Nelson Mandela
It’s not always about what you
know—it’s how you apply it and
how you treat people.
20. “Surround yourself with the
best people you can find, delegate
authority, and don’t interfere as long
as the policy you’ve decided upon
is being carried out.” — Ronald
Reagan
A smart leader will empower his
or her people and get out of the way.
21. “You are never too old to set
another goal or to dream a new
dream.” — C.S. Lewis
What goal and dream are you
pursuing?
22. “Don’t let the voice of
other’s opinions drown out your
own inner voice.” — Steve Jobs
There is a lot of chatter out there.
Be true to yourself and trust your
instincts.
23. “Effective leaders know that
you first have to touch people’s
hearts before you ask them for a
hand” — John Maxwell
Always connect with the heart
first.
24. “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” — Zig Ziglar
Your attitude will make you or
break you. Choose it wisely.
25. “As a leader sometimes you
will have to defy the critics and ignore the experts and just do what’s
in your heart.” — Doug Dickerson
(Just for good measure)
What’s in your heart?
Doug Dickerson is a syndicated
columnist. He writes a weekly column for this newspaper. To contact
Doug Dickerson, email him at
ddickerson@ lasvegastribune.com.
BEHIND THE MIKE
Hitting the Lottery
derful. But before her child was two
years old, her demons returned. She
moved into a sober living home,
leaving the baby in our care. Our
daughter never found sobriety and
our lives changed forever.
Seven million children across
the country live in households
headed by grandparents, according
to the 2014 Census Bureau Report.
This number may be significantly
larger because much information
goes unreported.
***
Lynne Gassel is author of
FIFTH CHILD: The Turbulent
Path That Led to Raising Our
Child’s Child and is Administrator
on The Addict’s Mom G2G (Grandparent to Grandparent) website that
supports other grandparents raising
grandchildren. In addition to writing, she is a fine artist and a singer.
***
Laura Chapman is CoFounder and Vice President of nonprofit organizations, “Families in
the Fire” and “Zachary’s Closet”
and committed to supporting families of addicts raising their
children’s children. A contributing
author to Aloha, The Message of
Hawaii, she is a copywriter/editor.
“The Addict’s Mom Presents
UNEXPECTED HEROES: Stories
of Love and Sacrifice in the Face
of Addiction”(284 Pages) is on
Amazon.com in soft cover ($14.95)
and Kindle/E-books ($9.99) ISBN
-13: 9780692480557.
For additional nformation,
please contact Barbara Theodosiou:
at [email protected] or
phone 954-309-0992.
By Michael A. Aun
I’ve never came close to winning
the lottery, mainly because I haven’t
bothered to buy a ticket for the past
20 years. But even when I bought
one on a stop for morning coffee, I
never ever won much.
I did hit the lottery in several
ways in my life. The first came
when a client of mine who was purchasing a life insurance policy
asked me to join him at a Toastmasters Club in Cayce, SC at 7:00 a.m.
on a Monday morning. I came up
with every excuse I could invent on
the fly but finally said yes to Pat
Callahan when he suggested that he
could “shop his insurance around.”
My immediate response was
“When do we meet?”
That led to an ancillary career in
public speaking that made me fame
and fortune during the next 45
years. Speaking led to writing some
nine books and a syndicated column
that appears in over 1,500 newspapers in 41 countries. Not bad for a
kid who barely finished high
school.
Another lottery winning for me
came in the form of my twin sons,
Cory and Jason. Some would argue
that you are blessed when you’re
given double blessings at birth; others would counter that you’re also
given double headaches and half the
sleep... double trouble, as the saying goes.
Still, my patient wife Christine
was the miracle maker who produced these bundles of joy and
raised them largely on her own as I
was winging my way around the
world speaking in some 50 states
and over 20 countries. She would
jokingly put my brochure on the
back door with instructions: “If
someone looking like this comes to
the door, let him in. It’s your dad.”
Yuk, yuk.
MICHAEL A. AUN
We were blessed again
when a third son came along five
years later. Christopher was very
unlike his high maintenance brothers, lovable and pudgy. This
prompted the nickname they
awarded him at birth... “Gutt.”
It was 31 years later when “Gutt”
and his bride Viviana gave birth to
another winning lottery ticket, a set
of twin grandsons Cameron and
Keenan. I nicknamed Viviana
“Bones” because she was nothing
but long black hair, skin and bones.
When those two bundles of joy arrive in this world six months ago, it
was like hitting the trifecta.
Not everyone is blessed with
twins in their family. My wife had
seven brothers and sisters and I had
ten, five of each. There wasn’t a
twin in the either group and none
in either immediate family. And
then, B-I-N-G-O! We have two sets
of twins in back to back generations. How lucky can one guy get?
There is an old joke that we
Catholics believe in two things,
rhythm and bingo. If you don’t have
one you end up with the other. What
a blessing to have twin sons and
twin grandsons. By the way, I have
pictures.
The good news is Cameron and
Keenan, like their cousins Ava and
Ashley are healthy. The bad news
is they look like me... so much so
that the parents nicknamed
Cameron “Jiddo Junior.” Jiddo is
the Arabic word for grandfather
pronounced Jiddy. Neither his father nor I can deny this kid. The first
thing Christopher’s in-laws said to
me at the hospital is “You marked
that one!”
How little did they know just
how much I marked him? Like me,
he’s a party animal who is impatient and cranky. When he wakes,
it’s like a bullet out of a rifle, announcing to the world it’s dinner
time, where’s my bottle? Poor
patent Keenan quietly opens his
eyes, surmises the room, finds a
friendly face and offers a sweet
smile to the recipient.
I think Keenan feels, “Why
waste the energy on crying?” My
loudmouth brother can handle that
for me. In so many ways, like their
uncles Cory and Jason, they are so
alike... and yet so different.
Yeah... I guess you could say
I’ve hit the lottery several times in
my life. Over marrying a woman
that was way out of my reach... over
performing in a career that was so
diverse that you couldn’t make the
stuff up in a script... winning the
World Championship of Public
Speaking for Toastmasters... being
named to the National Speakers
Association Speakers Hall Of
Fame... being selected to the Veteran Speakers Retreat Legends of
the Speaking Profession in the same
class with Zig Ziglar.
Yeah... I’ve hit the lottery... several times as a matter of fact.
Michael Aun is a syndicated columnist and writes a weekly column
for this newspaper. To contact
Michael Aun, email him at
[email protected].
SOCIAL SECURITY AWARENESS
Ten Social Security claiming strategies that work
Here’s how to increase your
Social Security payout.
By Emily Brandon
Your Social Security payment
amount is determined by how much
you earn while working and when
you elect to start receiving payments. Married individuals are additionally eligible for spousal and
survivor’s payments. But there are
many strategies you can use to increase how much you will receive
in retirement. Here’s how to get the
highest Social Security payment
you qualify for.
Work 35 or more years
Your Social Security payments
are calculated using your 35 highest-earning years in the workforce.
If you don’t work for at least 35
years, zeros are factored into the
calculation and reduce your payments. Even a low-earning year is
better than having a zero averaged
in.
Earn a higher salary
The more you earn and pay into
Social Security up to the taxable
maximum of $118,500 in 2016, the
higher your retirement payments
will be. Earnings above the taxable
maximum are not subject to Social
Security taxes or used to calculate
your benefit. Working an extra year,
even after you retire, could increase
your future payments if you now
earn more than you did earlier in
your career.
Don’t claim before your
full retirement age
Social Security monthly benefits
are reduced if you start payments
before your full retirement age,
which is 66 for most baby boomers
and 67 for everyone born in 1960
or later. Workers who sign up at age
62 will get 25 percent smaller
monthly payments if their full retirement age is 66 and a 30 percent
benefit reduction if their full retirement age is 67.
Consider delaying
claiming until age 70
If you delay claiming Social Security past your full retirement age
you will accrue delayed retirement
credits that will increase your
monthly payments by 8 percent for
each year of delay. After age 70
there is no additional incentive to
delay starting your payments.
Suspend payments
If you took a reduced Social Security benefit, it’s not too late to
boost your payments. Social Security beneficiaries who are between
full retirement age and age 70 can
suspend Social Security payments
and earn delayed retirement credits. This will increase your benefit
by 8 percent for each year of suspension up until age 70, or as much
as 32 percent if you suspend your
payments for four years.
Pay back your benefit
If you change your mind within
12 months of signing up for Social
Security, you can repay all the
money you and your family have
received, without interest, and withdraw your Social Security application. You can then apply for Social
Security payments again at a later
date, and the monthly payments
will then be larger due to delayed
claiming. However, each benefi-
ciary can only use this option once.
Claim spousal payments
Married individuals are eligible
to claim Social Security payments
worth up to 50 percent of their
spouse’s benefit, if that amount is
higher than their own payment. To
get the full 50 percent you need to
sign up for spousal payments at
your full retirement age, which is
66 for most baby boomers. Spousal payments are reduced if you
claim them before your full retirement age. Ex-spouse’s are also eligible for spousal payments if the
marriage lasted at least ten years.
Include family members
The children of retired and disabled Social Security beneficiaries
can qualify for payments until
(See Brandon, Page 27)
How retirees can earn income on the Web
Making money on the side could be
as easy as firing up your computer.
By Maryalene LaPonsie
Whether they need extra money
or are simply looking for a way to
fill the time, many retirees find they
still want to work later in life. Although there are plenty of traditional job opportunities to pursue,
older Americans may discover the
most convenient money-making
methods are on the Web.
“There are so many ways they
can leverage their experience
[online], and it doesn’t require too
much heavy lifting,” says Andy
Sweet, president of Sweet Marketing Group in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
A basic knowledge of the
Internet is all it takes to work as an
online entrepreneur or freelancer,
according to Sweet. Meanwhile,
those who’d rather not go it alone
can find online franchising opportunities that are custom-made for
experienced, older Americans.
Share Knowledge With a
Money-Making Blog
Sweet says retirees may find it
easiest to make money online by
using the knowledge gained
through their career or hobbies.
“Even if they were to do something
as simple as put up a blog,” he says.
That blog could cover anything a
senior might be knowledgeable
about, from gardening and home
repair to business strategy.
Platforms such as WordPress,
Blogger and Squarespace make it
relatively simple to create a blog
and use ads to bring in revenue.
Other ways to monetize a blog include joining affiliate programs that
offer commissions on sales or selling supplemental materials. For
example, a retiree with a gardening
blog could sell a guide with plant-
Brandon
they turn age 18 (or 19 while a fulltime high school student). The
spouse of a Social Security beneficiary who is caring for a dependent
child under age 16 or a disabled
child could also qualify for payments.
Maximize survivor’s
payments
When one member of a retired
married couple passes away, the
surviving spouse can inherit the
deceased spouse’s Social Security
payment, if that amount is higher
than his or her current monthly payment. Married couples can increase
the Social Security benefit the surviving spouse will receive by having the higher earner delay claiming Social Security.
Estimate your longevity
The most effective Social Security claiming strategy for you depends on how long you will live. If
you have a major health problem,
it can make sense to claim benefits
as soon as possible (unless you want
to leave a higher benefit to a surviving spouse). If you’re healthy
and have parents who lived into
their 90s, there’s a case to be made
for delaying claiming your benefit
in order to receive a higher Social
Security payment in your 70s, 80s
and beyond.
Emily Brandon is the senior editor for Retirement at U.S. News. She
is the author of “Pensionless: The
10-Step Solution for a Stress-Free
Retirement”. You can contact her
on Twitter @aiming2retire, circle
her on Google+ or email her at
[email protected].
ing dates and a checklist for setting
up a first-time garden.
Entire books have been written
on how to turn a blog into a source
of income, and bloggers will find
no shortage of people offering to set
up websites for a fee. “Unfortunately, there are plenty of fly-bynight guys out there,” Sweet says.
Before paying for a book or hiring
a consultant, be sure to vet them
carefully. A better option, Sweet
says, may be to take advantage of
the many online forums and
websites that provide free advice to
new bloggers.
Where Seniors Can
Find Freelance Earning
Opportunities
Not everyone wants the responsibility of creating and maintaining
a blog. For those retirees,
freelancing may be a better option.
Numerous websites allow people to
connect with others who want to
hire workers for a one-time task or
on a freelancer basis.
These sites include:
—Upwork
There are many ways retirees can leverage their experience online, and it doesn’t require much heavy lifting.
—Guru
cally any skill. “One of the catego- allow freelancers to post specific
—Fiverr
ries on Fiverr is career advice,” work they provide at a specific
—Freelancer
Sweet notes.
price. Many sites have discussion
—iFreelance
Each site operates under a dif- boards that can help users learn the
While writing, Web design and ferent set rules, with most opting for ropes. Seniors should also take care
administrative support are popular a bidding model in which potential to understand how payments work,
categories on these sites, seniors clients post jobs and freelancers bid the commission taken by the site
may find they can market practi- on them. Others, like Fiverr, may
(See LaPonsie, Page 28)
LaPonsie
and their options should a job go
bad.
Franchises Mean You
Don’t Have to Go Solo
Both blogging and freelancing
are typically solo operations. However, there is a way to make money
online using a more traditional business model: franchising.
“If they don’t have a wealth of
money, they could get into a franchise for well under $100,000,” says
Marty Welch, chief development
officer for Legacy Franchise Group
in Scottsdale, Arizona.
That’s significantly more than
what a retiree would pay to set up a
blog or market themselves as
freelancer, but a franchise offers a
turnkey business that may bring in
more income more quickly. Beyond
that, franchises offer ongoing support to help new business owners be
successful.
“The benefit of being in a franchise is being in business for yourself but not by yourself,” Welch
says.
Online franchises may focus on
business consulting or online teaching, among other topics. With hundreds of franchise opportunities
available, Welch recommends using
a franchise consultant to evaluate
options and find an online business
that matches your skills and time
commitment. Consultants typically
work free of charge for potential
business owners and make their
money through a commission paid
by the franchising company.
Beware: Your Social Security
Could Be Taxed
Before jumping into any of these
money-making opportunities, retirees should be aware of how the income they earn could affect their
Social Security benefits, says Scott
Cousino, a certified financial planner and owner of Legacy Financial
Planners in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
“It absolutely can affect your
benefits,” Cousino says about working. In 2016, retirees who have not
yet reached their full retirement age
but are receiving retirement benefits
can earn $15,720 before their Social Security is reduced. For every
$2 a person exceeds that limit, $1
in benefits will be withheld. People
reaching their full retirement age of
66 this year can earn up to $41,880
in 2016 before they are penalized
$1 for every $3 they earn over that
limit.
Income that counts toward the
Social Security cap includes both
wages and money earned through
self-employment,
including
blogging and freelancing. Once a
person reaches their full retirement
age, there is no cap on how much a
retiree can earn each year.
Cousino suggests those who are
still working should consider
whether it makes sense to
file early for Social Security.
“Prior to full retirement, they have
to be very aware of why they are
taking Social Security if their benefit is going to be reduced [because
of excess earnings],” he says.
Another consideration for seniors is the possibility their Social
Security benefits may become taxable, regardless of their age. For instance, those filing an individual
return can have a combined income
of up to $24,999 and not worry
about their Social Security being
taxed. However, if their income falls
between $25,000 and $34,000, half
their benefits could be subject to
federal income tax. Those with incomes in excess of $34,000 will see
85 percent of their Social Security
benefits subject to tax. (Combined
income is calculated by adding adjusted gross income, nontaxable
interest and half the amount of Social Security benefits awarded that
year.)
Making money online isn’t only
for the younger generations. For
seniors who know their way around
the Internet, there are numerous
opportunities to make extra cash
online using the skills they gained
over the course of their career.
Maryalene LaPonsie is
freelance writer who has been reporting on personal finance, retirement, higher education and insurance for more than seven years. You
can connect with her on LinkedIn,
circle her on Google+ or check out
her personal website at The Mighty
Widow.
Use your extra day to leap into retirement
By Shon Seigler
Social Security Operations
supervisor in Las Vegas
It’s leap year and that means one
thing — you can add one extra calendar day to your February schedule. Many people are preparing for
the upcoming elections. Others
might be getting a jump on spring
cleaning. What will you do with
your extra day?
You could use a few of your extra minutes to check out what Social
Security
offers
at
w w w. s o c i a l s e c u r i t y. g o v /
onlineservices. There, you can:
—Apply for retirement, disability, and other benefits;
—Get your Social Security
Statement;
—Appeal a recent medical decision about your disability claim;
—Find out if you qualify for
benefits;
If you’re planning or preparing
for retirement, you can spend a fraction of your extra 24 hours at my
Social Security. In as little as 15
minutes, you can create a safe and
secure my Social Security account.
More than 21 million Americans
already have accounts. In fact,
someone opens one about every 6
seconds. Join the crowd and sign up
today at www.socialsecurity.gov/
myaccount. With a personalized my
Social Security account, you can:
—Obtain an instant, personalized estimate of your future Social
Security benefits;
—Verify the accuracy of your
earnings record — your future benefit amounts are based on your earnings record;
—Change your address and
phone number, if you receive
monthly Social Security benefits;
—Sign up for or change direct
deposit of your Social Security benefits;
—Get a replacement SSA-1099
or SSA-1042S for tax season; and
—Obtain a record of the Social
Security and Medicare taxes you’ve
paid.
And if you have a little time to
spare, you can always check out our
blog, Social Security Matters, at
blog.socialsecurity.gov. There, you
will find guest posts by Social Security experts, in-depth articles, and
answers to many of your questions
about retirement, benefits, and
healthcare. Each post is tagged by
topic so you can easily search for
what matters most to you.
Leaping from webpage to
webpage, you can easily see that
Social Security has you covered all
year long, not just on that extra day
in February. Remember, you can
access our homepage that links to
our wide array of online services
any day of the week at
www.socialsecurity.gov.
What You
Need To
Know
By Dr Nina Radcliff
The Importance of
Blood Pressure Control
By Nina Radcliff, MD
Untreated high blood pressure,
also called hypertension, can have
deleterious effects on virtually every organ in our body. In fact, some
experts have called high blood pressure a “silent killer” because it seldom has symptoms until the harm
is done. When not regulated it
makes the heart work harder to
pump blood out to the body and
contributes to hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, to stroke,
kidney disease, and to the development of heart failure.
The good news is that with
proper treatment and lifestyle
changes, hypertension can be managed and many of its complications
can be avoided. And there is more
good news. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that Americans have
made inroads when it comes to getting their high blood pressure, also
known as hypertension, under control. They found that in 1999, just
31 percent of men and women with
hypertension were within recommended guidelines. In 2014, that
number increased significantly to
53 percent. While the news is positive, and a reason to applaud, the
researchers noted that there is room
for improvement.
What happens
to our arteries?
Our arteries are “pipes” that
transport oxygen- and nutrient-rich
blood from our heart to our organs.
In order to efficiently serve this
purpose, the inner lining is smooth,
flexible, and elastic.
However, when our arteries are
continuously exposed to high blood
pressures, the extra shearing force
— 60 times a minute, 3600 times
an hour, 86,400 times a day —
causes stretching and tears within
the inner lining. This results in scar
tissue and narrowing.
In addition, this damage provides fertile ground for fats in our
bloodstream to collect and form
plaques, known as atherosclerosis.
The combination of narrowing and
atherosclerosis impedes adequate
blood flow, and hence oxygen and
nutrients, from being delivered to
our organs.
In some instances where there is
a weakened section in an artery, hypertension may even result in an
aneurysm. An aneurysm is when
blood abnormally enters into the
artery wall causing a ballooning, or
a bulge. This bulge has the potential to rupture and cause exsanguination within our body.
The heart of the matter
Our heart is responsible for
pumping blood to every single one
of our 3 trillion cells. And when
faced with chronic hypertension,
we are making this already magnificent task, more challenging. In addition to the narrowing of the coronary arteries that supply the heart’s
muscles, hypertension makes our
heart work harder to pump blood
against the increased resistance. To
compensate for this increased
workload, our heart abnormally
thickens, a condition known as left
ventricular hypertrophy.
The thickened heart creates a
Catch 22 — while it is necessary to
generate the force needed to pump
blood, it has a greater oxygen demand that becomes difficult to fulfill. As a result, left ventricular hypertrophy can increase the risk of
heart attacks, and even heart failure (the inability of our heart to
pump blood to our organs).
Brain
Stroke — brain cell death due to
insufficient oxygen delivery — is
the third leading cause of death in
the United States and a leading
cause of major disability and suffering. Hypertension has been
called the most important risk factor for stroke. Over time, high blood
pressures set the stage for narrowing and atherosclerosis of brain vessels, as well as blood clots that can
block flow. And dangerously elevated pressures can cause weakened blood vessels to rupture and
bleed into the brain.
Kidneys
These two mighty organs perform the important task of managing our fluid and electrolyte balance, getting rid of wastes and toxins, and even manufacturing hormones. However, the incidence of
kidney disease has been increasing
rapidly. Between the years 2000 and
2008, the incidence of chronic kidney disease in those aged 65 years
and older has doubled!
And hypertension (along with
diabetes) is a leading cause of kidney failure. This is because uncontrolled blood pressures can damage
the kidney’s blood vessels. When
this happens, toxins build up, our
body becomes fluid overloaded,
It is estimated that nearly one in
three American adults have hypertension — almost 70 million
people. However, almost half do not
even know they have it. Thus, the
first step to preventing these complications is to know if you have
high blood pressure. It is important
to have your blood pressure
checked on a regular basis — at a
doctor’s visit, pharmacy, or with a
home kit. If it is consistently elevated, we must take steps to manage it.
If you are diagnosed with hypertension, the importance of managing it cannot be underscored
enough. In addition to the disabling
conditions discussed here, hypertension is responsible for nearly
1000 deaths a day... placing millions at risk in the United States.
Blood pressure control can be
achieved with anti-hypertensive
medications alongside healthy
and a string of electrolyte imbal- lifestyle choices — physical activances occur. Treatment requires ity, moderating salt intake, not
hemodialysis several times a week smoking, decreasing stress, good
sleep hygiene — and working handor kidney transplant.
in-hand with our healthcare providEyes
Oxygen and nutrients are deliv- ers. Take the steps to lead a healthy
ered to our eyes via extremely tiny life, today.
This article is for general inforand delicate vessels that are prone
mation
only and should not be used
to damage from elevated blood
for
the
diagnosis or treatment of
pressures. This can result in bleedmedical
conditions and cannot subing into the eye, nerve damage, and
stitute
for
the advice from your
fluid buildup. The end result —
medical
professional.
Dr. Nina has
impaired vision and even blindness.
used
all
reasonable
care
in compilBones
ing
the
current
information
but it
Chronic hypertension results in
may
not
apply
to
you
and
your
our kidneys abnormally excreting
symptoms.
Always
consult
a
doctor
calcium. Calcium is a mineral that
helps bones stay strong. When they or other health care professional for
are weak, our bones are more likely diagnosis and treatment of medical
conditions.
to break or fracture.
EarthTalk is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss
and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to:
[email protected]. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/
subscribe; Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.
Dear EarthTalk: Are genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
really so bad for us and the environment, and given their prevalence in our food supply already,
how can I avoid them? — Dianne
Mercurio, Richmond, VA
Unless you only buy foods that
are certified organic or marked as
“GMO-free,” odds are that a great
deal of the food you eat contains
genetically modified organisms
(GMOs). But are you risking your
health and damaging the environment by eating GMOs? Not according to Monsanto, the agricultural
biotechnology company that is a
leading producer of GM seed.
Monsanto contends that GMOs are
safe to eat and that seeds with GM
traits have been tested more than
any other crops in the history of
agriculture — with no credible evidence of harm to humans or animals.
The company also points to
studies that have positively assessed the safety of GMOs, including the 2010 European Commission
report summarizing the results of
50 research projects addressing the
safety of GMOs for the environment as well as for animal and human health. In announcing the report, the Commission stated that
“there is, as of today, no scientific
evidence associating GMOs with
higher risks for the environment or
for food and feed safety than conventional plants.”
Of course, not everyone agrees.
According to the non-profit NonGMO Project, genetically modified
crops and food items can contaminate conventional crops and foods
through cross-pollination and/or
contamination. Also, since many
GM crops are designed to be immune to herbicides and pesticides,
farmers have increased their use of
various weed and bug killing
chemicals to keep competition for
their cash crops at bay. The resulting overuse of these chemicals has
led to a rapid evolution of “super
weeds” and “super bugs” that can
quickly take over unmaintained or
wild lands.
Given the prevalence of GMOs
in our food supply already, the nonprofit Just Label It believes labeling everything that contains GMOs
would be a start so at least consumers can choose on their own what
they put in their bodies. Some 64
countries around the world — including China, Japan, Australia,
Brazil, Russia and 28 nations in the
European Union — currently require labeling on foods created with
GMOs. Just Label It is one of many
activist voices calling on the United
States to follow suit. The group has
created an online petition so everyday Americans can let the U.S.
Food & Drug Administration
(FDA) know that they have the right
to know what’s in their food, especially when it comes to GMOs.
But until we have federal rules
in place requiring labeling, concerned consumers will have to take
Since the U.S. does not require food producers to label products containing genetically-modified organisms,
the non-profit Non-GMO Project has taken matters into its own hands and released its own certificatoon
label for the industry.
matters into their own hands when across 1,900 different brands com- 2018.
it comes to ferreting out the GMO monly available on U.S. store
Beyond just labeling, though,
content of what they eat. Luckily shelves as GMO-free, representing Whole Foods is also working with
the Non-GMO Project is helping annual sales topping $13.5 billion. many of its suppliers to transition
make it easier by offering verified Meanwhile, Whole Foods has to ingredients from non-GMO
products the opportunity to display stepped up its support of GMO la- sources altogether. Activists hope
its “Non-GMO” symbol on their beling by instituting a new policy that this leadership will trickle
labels. Currently the group has veri- of “full GMO transparency” in all down to mainstream grocers as
fied some 35,000 food products of its North American stores by well.
PLACES TO GO
Venetian and Palazzo Resort’s Authentic
Chinese New Year’s 2016 Celebration
By Sandy Zimmerman
Las Vegas Tribune
Photos supplied by Venetian
and Palazzo Resorts
You don’t have to travel to China
to see the traditional Chinese New
Year’s décor, dances and celebrations because the Venetian and
Palazzo Resorts re-create the experience.
As 2016 is the year of the Monkey, there are 78 Monkeys throughout the two resorts with a Monkey
King that sits 5-feet tall and weighs
300 pounds. The “Year of the Monkey” art installation features:
—78 handcrafted monkeys
around property, each with a
unique, hand-painted face.
—A five-foot tall, 300-pound
Monkey King draped in Swarovski
crystals, His chest plate is made up
of more than 8,000 hand-sewn gold
coins.
—A 38-foot-tall wishing tree
with 8,000 branches of golden foliage.
—28 young and mischievous
monkeys
—Eight giant, hand-painted
peaches covered in Swarovski crystals.
—88 gold and red six-foot lanterns that are suspended over the
walkways of the Waterfall Atrium
and Gardens
—More than 1,000 blooming
flowers
including
golden
Phalaenopsis, cymbidium orchids,
chrysanthemums, and Oriental lilies
—More than 1,200 plants including phormium grasses,
philodendrum, Ogon grass, tangerine trees, lucky bamboo trees, ivy,
ferns, and cast-iron plants
The atmosphere changed as the
Palazzo’s luxurious Lobby was
filled with lanterns and handcrafted
monkeys.
The Dragon dance circled the
Armillary Sphere in the Venetian
Lobby while the Lion Dancers
make their way through the Grand
Colonnade. These costumes, dances
and traditions were handed down by
the Chinese for ages.
Starting at The Venetian portecochere, dancers and drummers paraded through both properties,
circled through the casino to The
Waterfall Atrium and Gardens of
The Palazzo, and continued through
The Palazzo. Other celebratory visuals included a “Year of the Monkey” display inside The Waterfall
Atrium and Gardens of The
Palazzo. To honor the “Year of the
The Monkey King sits 5-feet tall and weighs 300 pounds.
The Dragon circles the Armillary Sphere in the Venetian Lobby.
Monkey” the resort’s floral and Goldstein; George Markantonis,
horticulture department partnered president and COO of The Venewith a team of artisans, and con- tian, The Palazzo, and Sands Expo;
sulted with a feng shui master, to Larry Chiu, president of internaproduce the massive “Year of the tional marketing; and Pete Boyd,
Monkey” art installation. Guests senior vice president of operations.
were encouraged to revel in the enThe Year of the Monkey art inchanting beauty of this display stallations will run through Feb. 29.
while strolling through The WaterThe Venetian and Palazzo
fall Atrium and Gardens of The present one of the most beautiful
Palazzo.
and most professional Chinese New
The Venetian and The Palazzo Year celebrations. Visit the website
Las Vegas ushered in the Year of www.venetian.com
the Monkey on Monday, Feb. 8,
The Chinese New Year is also
with a traditional lion dance and eye known as the Spring Festival.
ceremony. To kick off Chinese New People in China celebrate the holiYear 2016 were president and COO day by getting together for large
of Las Vegas Sands Corp., Robert family dinners, setting off firecrack-
Venetian and Palazzo Resort’s Chinese New Years
Celebration-78 Mischievous Monkeys throughout
the Venetian and the Palazzo Resorts.
ers and more. The main color of the
celebration is red. Each new year
was marked by the characteristics
of one of the 12 zodiacal animals:
the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon,
snake, horse, sheep, monkey,
rooster, dog and pig.
*****
Award-winning Syndicated Columnist Sandy Zimmerman features
Show/Dining reviews, travel,
health, luxury and more. Sandy is
talk show host of the Las Vegas Today Show programs and Discover
the Ultimate Vacation travel specials. If you wish information or
have questions, call (702) 7316491.
Palazzo Resort’s Lobby features lantern and
handcrafted monkeys for Chinese New Years.
The Venetian and Palazzo Resorts celebrate Chinese New Years 2016.
The Venetian and Palazzo Resort’s Executives Participate in the Chinese New Years 2016 Celebration.
Lion Dancers make their way through the Grand Colonnade.
LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE CLASSIFIEDS
OUTREACH PROGRAM
An outreach
program to help
the homeless to
help themselves.
CHAPLAINSTEVENSTJOHN.COM
HOUSING
COMPUTER REPAIR
SPECIAL OFFERS
LEGAL HELP
HEALTH
DONATE YOUR CAR
1-800-968-3660
CHAT LINES
TELEVISION OFFERS
Switch to DIRECTV and
get a $100 Gift Card.
FREE Whole-Home
Genie HD/DVR upgrade.
Starting at $19.99/mo.
New Customers Only.
Don’t settle for cable.
Call Now 1-800-940-4336

DA and Metro have known since 2001 Kirstin Lobato is innocent

Transcription

Similar documents

Terry Fator Fox Theatre_PP1

FiestaPoster2012

flyer here

Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association of Nevada - Nevada 41-1

BOY SCOUTS NIGHT OUT AT BLUE MAN GROUP!

How Did They Do That? - Sacramento Civil War Round Table

HERE

Online Casino Games Uk 888 Casino Spiele Ohne Anmeldung

ONE SMART CAR BUCKLE UP Our back

Untitled - Previews