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THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 2
The Thanks Of A Greatful Nation
Congressman Jim Gibbons, Caroline Creech and General John Jumper, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff pose for the news media
at the newly unveiled sign marking the elevation of the former Indian Springs Auxiliary Airfield to a full scale Air Force
Base which was named Creech Air Force Base in honor of Mrs. Creech's late husband. General Wilbur "Bill" Creech was
the former commander of the Tactical Air Command and was also widely known as the father of the Thunderbirds for his
efforts to keep the demonstration team operating after calls for ending the program in the wake of a fatal crash. Creech,
who died in 2003, was a published author and made many adjustments which are still standard operating proceedure in
the Air Force.
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Publisher and Editor:
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The Penny Press is published weekly by
5010 Productions, Inc. All Contents © Penny Press 2005
Contributing Editors:
George Harris
Al Thomas
Doug French
Bill Here
Dolores Lonergan Pat Choate
Bob Jennings
Joyce Meyer
Letters to the Editor are encouraged. They should be
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Penny Press
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
16 PAGES
VOLUME 2 NUMBER 39
JUNE 23, 2005
"He Just Looks Like A Scumbag"
By BRENT KENTON JORDAN
Editor’s Note: Brent Kenton Jordan
is the author of a book, Stripped,
detailing his real life experience
as a bouncer at the very Las Vegas
topless club in the center of the GSting investigation, Cheetahs. In this
excerpt, he details his experience
with a former politician who has
not been indicted but may be under
both state and Federal investigation. Former County Commissioners
Lance Malone, Mary Chauncy and
Dario Herrera are scheduled to
go to trial in January. Former
Commissioner Erin Kenny has plead
guilty as has former clubowner Mike
Galardi. Malone is currently being
tried on related charges in San
Diego. For transcripts and wiretaps
go to www.LasVegasCrooks.com.
The first time I met former city
councilman, Michael McDonald,
was when I accosted him outside
the back office door of Cheetahs
Gentleman’s Lounge.
I had been patrolling the parking
lots outside the club for suspicious
individuals, as was my habit when
the smoke and noise of the bar got
to be too much, when I spotted a
man, a short man, dressed in an
oversized parka with a baseball cap
pulled down low over his face, lurking outside the side office door to
Cheetahs. I watched the man as he
stealthily looked over his shoulders
and hunched his head down into
the collar of his coat, like a villain
in a bad fifties detective movie, or
maybe like a desert tortoise caught
out in the open. I approached the
man from behind, looping my way
around the parking lot and coming
up quietly between the parked cars.
You could never be too sure of a
The Conservative Weekly
Voice Of Las Vegas
Inside:
"Friends" Of PBS
Flipping Us Big Bird
See Editorial Page 6
man’s intentions, standing outside
the side door to the office of a strip
club at two in the morning, so I figured shouting “hey you” from across
the lot might not be my best choice
of introduction. The office held tens
of thousands of dollars in its safes,
and this wouldn’t have been the first
time a robbery had been attempted at
a strip club where I worked.
When I was within easy reach of
the man, I asked, “can I help you?”.
You would have thought I had snuck
up on him and shouted “boo” at the
top of my lungs wearing an Oscar
Goodman mask, for the way he
reacted.
The man spun to face me, wide
eyed and mouth gaping. He stuttered
and stammered and looked hurriedly
around some more as if to confirm
there was no one else looking to give
him a heart attack. It was then that I
recognized his familiar face, and it
Penny Wisdom
The incompetent with nothing to do can still make a mess
of it.
—Laurence J. Peter
was also then that I recognized that
we were being robbed, only not in
the way I had first imagined.
Michael McDonald had been on
the news quite a bit at the time. An
ethics charge, or something of the
sort, had the city council making
headlines, and the tiny, former cop,
with the clean features and ridiculous hairdo, had never been particularly camera shy.
The office door suddenly opened,
and Mike Galardi poked his head
out and said, “he’s okay Brent, he
just looks like a scumbag.” Mike
was smiling his wicked, inside joke
smile, that made me believe he had
been watching McDonald on the
security monitors, standing outside
in the cold for quite awhile.
I was told later, through the
Cheetahs underground information
system (management), that Michael
PAT CHOATE
FRED WEINBERG
DOUG FRENCH
BILLHERE
AL THOMAS
DIANE GRASSI
JOYCE MEYER
BULLRING RESULTS
PET OF THE WEEK
Continued on page4
PAGE 5
PAGE 6
PAGE 7
PAGE 8
PAGE 10
PAGE 11
PAGE 12
PAGE 13
PAGE 15
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 4
Las Vegas Strip Club Politics As Usual?
Continued from page 3
McDonald had come by for his “campaign contribution.” Considerate of
him to come all the way down here to pick it up in person, I thought.
Over the next few years, Michael McDonald became more and more a
regular fixture at Cheetahs—and none to covertly, either.
McDonald would roll into Cheetahs with a pair of sycophant groupies (friends) in tow, and proceed to terrorize every living soul in the club,
bouncers, entertainers, and customers alike. “I own this place!” “He works
for me, (pointing to any employee who happened to be within pointing distance). “Jaguars wouldn’t even be getting build if it wasn’t for me.” After a
few cocktails, his greatly exaggerated statements were bellowed at the top
of his lungs for anyone, and everyone to hear. The club would turn into a
pathetically comic dance, with bouncers and cocktail waitresses rotating to
the opposite side of the club from the tiny tyrant. McDonald would move to
one side of the bar, we would all move to the other. It was far better to avoid
the egotistical little bugger, than to give him the opportunity to prove to his
friends exactly how much he meant to Galardi.
McDonald was annoying, but his actions never truly seemed that strange
to me. It was exactly what I had come to expect from politicians. When the
president of the United States was making comments like; “I did not have
sexual relations with that woman,” and “it depends what the definition of
‘is’ is,” why would you expect more from a city councilman?
Apparently all McDonald’s posturing inside Cheetahs were bigger
boasts and more liberal fabrications than even I imagined. As far as I
know, Michael McDonald has not been charged in the FBI’s “Operation
G-string.”
Maybe it really was a campaign contribution.
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 5
Commentary: Pat Choate
The Humvee
Scandal
American troops have been
in Iraq for more than 26 months.
Explosive devices that rip out the
bottoms of vehicles are the greatest danger that our troops face. As
of June 22, 2005, half of all U.S.
combat deaths there so far this year
– 155 Americans – are attributed to
such bombs.
A major reason these bombs are
so lethal is that not all the Humvees
sent to Iraq have armor. Another
major reason is that the Defense
Department is moving at a snail’s
pace to armor those vehicles.
Earlier this week, the Assistant
Commandant of the Marine Corps
and a one-star Marine General in
charge of procurement told Congress
that they had delayed for two months
the issuance of a contract to buy
armor kits that the troops in the
field can install. According to those
two Generals, the reason for the
delay is the Marine Corp “did not
pay enough attention” to getting
the contract through the Defense
Department’s procurement system.
Let me put this into context.
Immediately after the Japanese attack
on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt
announced the production objectives
for 1942 would include building
60,000 planes, 45,000 tanks, 20,000
anti-aircraft guns and 8 million tons
of shipping. Amazingly, the U.S.
exceeded all those production goals,
supplying all our Allies, as well as
our own troops.
Or, consider this. After the
Army Air Force authorized the B-17
bomber, Boeing took only one year
to design the plane, build a prototype and fly it. Overall, the U.S.
produced almost 13,000 B-17s, most
in the first three years of the war.
Yet, more than two years into this
war, the Bush Administration has
still not fully outfitted the Humvees
in Iraq with armor. I shudder to
think what would happen were the
U.S. in a major war.
Let me endorse an idea of Fred
Weinberg, publisher of the Penny
Press: Contract the armor job with
some of the many custom rod shops
on either the West or East Coast.
Today, the prime contractor is pro-
ducing only 80 armored Humvees
per month, which at the current
pace will soon approach the number
blown up monthly. Let’s get the job
done.
Let me make another suggestion:
Those two generals and the people
running the Defense Department’s
procurement for armored vehicles
should be sent to Iraq and made to
deliver material to troops in unarmored Humvees. So too, all dignitaries visiting Iraq, such as journalists, prospective contractors, visiting
Members of Congress and highlevel political appointees, should be
transported in unarmored vehicles.
The fact that our leaders, civilian and military, have been so indifferent to the welfare of our troops
in Iraq is a scandal for which their
heads should roll.
PAT CHOATE
Want A Penny Press
In The Mail?
The Penny Press Tips Its Cap To:
Alejandro Martinez, 23, of Las Vegas for saving the taxpayers of Clark
County a lot of money by filling out a job application BEFORE he robbed
a pizza parlor making it fairly simple to catch him. Sometimes you don't
have to be very smart to save the taxpayers money. Maybe the legislature
could take a clue from this.
Capt. Nicole Malachowski, 30, a 1992 Western High School graduate who
will join the Thunderbirds as a pilot after their final show this year for the
2006 and 2007 seasons. She will become the first female fighter jock to
fly with the Ambassadors in Blue and we hope she knows that every in Las
Vegas is very proud of her.
The Penny Press Sends A Bronx Cheer
And A Bouquet of Weeds To:
What passes for leadership in Carson City. Just after they got done gloating over the $600,000,000 surplus they managed to steal from us, Governor
Kenny Guinn now says we need to raise taxes to fund new road construction. We already have one of the highest gas taxes in the nation. But here's
the biggest insult. They're complaining that truck traffic (mostly from out
of state) will increase rapidly and we have to be ready for it. Right.
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OPINION
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 6
From The Publisher...
"Friends" Of PBS Trying To Flip Us A Big Bird
I have waited a comparatively long time to write this editorial
because I had hoped that the fuss over the appointment of Ken
Tomlinson as chair of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
would die down and everybody in the world of Public Broadcasting
would go on about their business.
They do this by complaining to their friends in the mainstream
media, like Dallas’ Molly Ivans, who then do hit pieces accusing
Tomlinson of, gasp, politicizing their sacred PBS.
“He is a Bush information apparatchik,” wrote Ivans last weekend.
But since the lefties who seem most aggrieved by Tomlinson’s
appointment are determined to filibuster the subject to death, it’s
time to add some insight you might otherwise not get.
Never mind that Democrat Norm Pattiz is in charge of the United
State’s broadcast propaganda efforts in the Middle East.
But first, some full disclosure.
That you won’t see written about by the Ivans of the world.
My father, a man who I am justifiably proud of, is one of the
inventors of what is now called public broadcasting.
Well, we have some advice for the people at PBS who are in high
dudgeon over the mere suggestion that they should simply balance their political programming a bit.
Back when there were only three networks, when news was
something Walter Cronkite delivered, when teachers were suspicious of TV in the classroom because it might displace them,
when cable tv was called Community Antenna Television, when
children’s programming was Howdy Doodie, Captain Kangaroo
and a local cartoon show, a young electrical engineering Professor
at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, saw what was being done
on television in New York and Boston for children, the arts and
education and decided if it could be done there, why not Peoria?
He created out of whole cloth, with very little money but a lot
of community support, a television station which prospers even
today (34 years later) as Professor Emeritus Philip Weinberg
approaches 80 and is still Channel 47’s most dedicated viewer
(and occasional critic).
Get over it.
Tomlinson isn’t going anywhere, any more than we’re going to
rerun the 2004 election and John Kerry will replace George Bush.
We had an election last November and decided all this.
We have elections in this country so that the people in power can
make appointments of competent individuals. If you don’t like
those appointments remember to vote in the next election. You
might win.
But if you continue to act like bulls in a china shop, you may
well do some serious damage to the institution you claim to love.
For every political action, there is usually an equal and opposite
reaction.
The experts—mostly those who thought such things could only
be accomplished with lots of tax dollars—told him to forget about
it, it couldn’t be done. He’s outlived most of those experts and
intends to outlive the rest of them.
I don’t think Tomlinson has any master plan to destroy the good
things my father helped create. Because he would have to fight
equally conservative people like me to do so.
Back then, you could have held a meeting of the most influential
people in public broadcasting in a fairly small room.
But balance? Lunatic fringe lefties like Bill Moyers need it just as
much as does Rush Limbaugh.
Well, time has marched on and we now live in that 500 channel
universe which they only talked about in the 70’s.
And if public broadcasting, 15% funded by our tax dollars, can’t
be balanced, what can?
Public television still has plenty to offer, but it has become a big
business these days. And its leadership doesn’t like to be told
that maybe, just maybe, they are a little biased in the selection
of their programming. In fact, they don’t like to be told much of
anything. But they sure want our money.
So when the Bush administration appointed a well respected
conservative Republican to head the agency which doles out the
Federal part of the PBS budget (about 15% of the total), the public broadcasting industry started trying to expel him as if he were
a lung transplant which didn’t take.
Mea Culpa!
FRED WEINBERG
Last week in this space, I made the mistake of sending the wrong
version of a computer file to press and, as a result, left the
impression that the Las Vegas Sun had always been an afternoon
paper and the Review Journal had always been a morning paper.
In fact, it is the reverse. It was the onset of the Joint Operating
Agreement which created the current situation. It was a difference of eight words. Needless to say, we're proofreading more
carefully these days. I apologize to those who rightfully expect
more from us
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 7
Commentary: Doug French
Freakonomics
It is rare that an economics book makes the New York Times non-fiction
bestseller list. The masses are more likely to be interested in reading about
getting rich quick or flattening their stomachs; not supply, demand and other
purposeful human action.
But, Steven D, Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have struck publishing
gold with their book, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the
Hidden Side of Everything. It is Levitt’s curiosity about the world and his
work on topical issues concerning public policy written about with the skill
of best selling author Dubner, that makes this a collaboration that brings a
new way of thinking to the average reader.
Freakonomics is not unique in its concept. While reading it, I couldn’t
help notice the similarities to David (son of Milton) Friedman’s Hidden
Order: The Economics of Everyday Life, and The Economics of Life: From
Baseball to Affirmative Action to Immigration, How Real-World Issues
Affect Our Everyday Life, written by another Chicago school economist,
Gary Becker. And, Levitt’s chapters on parenting bring to mind Richard
Herrnstein’s and Charles Murray’s The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class
Structure in American Life. For sure, these books are more intellectually
rigorous, but none were bestsellers.
Levitt and Dubner name their chapters provocatively to reel the reader
in: for instance, Chapter 1 is entitled, “What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo
Wrestlers Have in Common?”
Levitt’s work examining test scores in Chicago schools has provided
proof that mandating test scores give teachers incentive to cheat. And what
of Sumo wrestlers? Those who finish tournaments with records under .500
are forced to wait hand and foot on participants who finish over .500. A
review of the data of final tournament matches between 7-7 wrestlers and
8-6 opponents reveal that 7-7 wrestlers win nearly 80 percent of the time, far
more than the predicated win percentage of less than 49 percent.
The book’s chapter comparing the Ku Klux Klan and real estate agents
is about information. The KKK had power until they were exposed over
the radio and real estate agents hold pricing power if market prices are not
widely known and accessible to the public. The authors also delve into inter-
net dating sites. No surprise, women tend to lie about their weight, and men
about their height. Women are most interested in men’s incomes while men
are most interested in a woman’s looks.
Professor Levitt spent months in a Chicago ghetto gathering data on the
drug trade. From this he learned of the extensive business network that was
developed to sell drugs. Although most people assume drug dealers make
bundles of money and drive big fancy cars, what Levitt learned was that
like any other profession that holds out the potential for fame and riches
(entertainers, athletes) most dealers make less than minimum wage and live
with their moms while they keep working, hoping to make it to the top and
earn millions.
The book’s most controversial section is on crime, where the authors
contend that legalizing abortions in the 1970’s paved the way for lower
crime rates in the 1990’s. The theory being that with abortion legal, the
price of the procedure fell, and more poor, unmarried women would abort
unwanted children that would more likely grow up to be criminals.
Levitt and Dubner spend a quarter of the book on parenting and kids. The
authors come to some interesting conclusions about what really matters in
parenting. Kids tend to get higher test scores if their parents are highly educated: because these parents have higher IQs and IQ is strongly hereditary.
Children of mothers over thirty tend to do better in school. These women
tend to be better educated or career oriented. Children whose parents speak
English at home have better test scores. Conversely, adopted children do
worse on tests, because adopted kids are most influenced by their biological
parents’ IQs; that are likely low. Reading to children doesn’t improve test
scores. However, children growing up in a house full of books do well in
testing. Lots of books, mean high IQ parents.
The final chapter on naming children is the most fun. What’s in a name?
Nothing really. But, the speed at which children’s names change and why is
interesting and funny.
Freakonomics has been criticized for its controversial content, its lack of
scholarly rigor, trivial subject matter and conclusions, and failure to expose
the real economic damage done by government regulations and government
granted monopolies. But, despite the flaws, I’m happy that a book of this
subject matter is a bestseller.
DOUG FRENCH
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 8
The Best Vegas Calendar BAR NONE!
By Billhere
The FREE, e-mailed, VegasResource.com Newsletter and complete index of
Las Vegas coupons for shows, buffets and attractions is available on the internet at:
http://www.vegasresource.com/FreeVRC.html
JUNE, 2005
===========
Through July 31= Treasures of Ancient Egypt Exhibit Guggenheim
Hermitage Museum - Venetian.
Through Sep.17= Summer display - Bellagio Conservatory and
Botanical Gardens.
Through Oct.31= Titanic... The Artifact Exhibition - Tropicana.
Through Oct.31= “ Feathered Dinosaurs” exhibit - Las Vegas
Museum of Natural History.
+++++
23= The Wallflowers - House of Blues.
23-26=Ringling Bros. Circus - Orleans Arena.
24= Air service starts from McAllen, TX- Allegiant Air.
24= “Death by Chocolate” play - Lawry’s Restaurant.
24-25= Wayne Brady -The Mirage.
25= Tony Hawk¹s Boom Boom Huckjam - Mandalay Bay Events
Center.
25= Spin Doctors - Silverton.
25-26= Beauty, Health & Fitness Expo - Cashman Center.
26= Wrestling. WWE Vengeance - Thomas & Mack.
28-July 2= Frankie Valli - Flamingo.
29-July 3=Professional darts tournament - MGM Grand: http://
www.planetdarts.co.uk/index.asp?Nv=2&lid=-1&lname=Las%20
Vegas%20Desert%20Classic
30-July 13= David Copperfield - MGM Grand.
+++++
June??= Sales center for Trump International Hotel & Tower Las
Vegas opens at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fashion
Show Drive.
+++++
June??= WORLD MARKET CENTER opens a $200 million, 10-story
building. It’s fully leased with 225 furniture, bedding, decorative
accessories, lighting and design companies, near downtown, on
the northwest corner of Bonneville and Grand Central Parkway.
East of theInterstate 15. Tel.: 1-888-416-8600. Internet site at:
http://www.lasvegasmarket.com The first scheduled furniture
market will be held July 25 to 29.
JULY, 2005
===========
1= Whitesnake - Mandalay Bay.
1= Salute to Bill Haley by The Comets-Rampart Casino.
1= Alter Ego - Suncoast.
1= Merle Haggard - Texas Station.
1-3= Chuck Mangione - Orleans.
2= Comedian Mike Epps - Aladdin.
2= Lyle Lovett - Mandalay Bay Beach.
2= Hootie and the Blowfish - Silverton.
2-3= Dwight Yoakam - Cannery.
2-3= Johnny Mathis - Las Vegas Hilton.
3= Loggins & Messina - Aladdin.
3= Billy Idol - Hard Rock.
4= Independence Day.
4= Last year’s Fourth of July Fireworks: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jul-03-Sat-2004/news/24239590.html
4= Last year’s Fourth of July Activities: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jul-02-Fri-2004/weekly/24186826.html
5-9= Wayne Newton - Las Vegas Hilton.
7-10= Little River Band - The Orleans.
8= Kansas - Boulder Station.
8= Glenn Frey of the Eagles - Lake Las Vegas.
8-9= Spyro Gyra - Suncoast.
9= Lee Greenwood & Crystal Gale - Buffalo Bill’s in Primm, NV
9= Judas Priest - Mandalay Bay Events Center.
9= Rick Springfield - Silverton.
9-10= Gun & Knife Show - Cashman Center.
12-16= Wayne Newton - Las Vegas Hilton.
14-15 World Series of Poker Finals - Binion’s. Tel.: 1-877-3679767. Internet site at: ttp://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/ 1418= Dennis Miller - MGM Grand.
15= Pat Benatar - Mandalay Bay Beach.
15-16= Bridal Expo - Cashman Center .Info.: http://www.bridalspectacular.com/showinfo.asp
15-17= The Lettermen - Suncoast.
16= Tommy Dorsey Orchestra - Cannery.
16= Robert Plant - Las Vegas Hilton.
16= Rascal Flatts & Blake Shelton - Mandalay Bay Events
Center.
16= Tears for Fears - Mandalay Bay Beach.
16= Boxing. Hopkins vs. Taylor - MGM Grand.
16= Hootie & The Blowfish - Silverton.
19-23= Wayne Newton - Las Vegas Hilton.
19-27= Chris Isaak - MGM Grand.
21= UFO - Mandalay Bay House of Blues.
21-22= Julio Iglesias - Golden Nugget.
22= Sock Hop - Cannery.
22= Boz Scaggs - Mandalay Bay House of Blues.
22-23= Jay Leno - The Mirage.
22-24= Collin Raye - Suncoast.
24= Eminem & 50 Cent - Thomas & Mack Center.
25-28= Mrs. USA Pageant - The Orleans.
25-29= Las Vegas Furniture Expo -New L.V. World Furniture
Market Center.
28-Aug. 10= David Copperfield - MGM Grand.
29= Los Lonely Boys - Mandalay Bay Beach.
29-30= Jay Leno - The Mirage.
29-30= USA Body Building - UNLV Ham Hall.
29-31= Rich Little - The Orleans.
29-31= James Darren - Suncoast.
30= Natalie Cole - Lake Las Vegas.
30= Women’s Boxing. Christy Martin vs. Lucis Rijker - Mandalay
Bay Events Center.
30= B-52’s - Mandalay Bay Beach.
30= Ted Nugent-Mandalay Bay House of Blues.
30= Ty Herndon - Whiskey Petes, Primm, NV
??= Grand Opening of Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill Harrah’s.
AUGUST, 2005
=========== =============
4-7= Donny Osmond - The Orleans.
5= Journey - Aladdin.
6= Hank Williams Jr. - Aladdin.
6= Michael Bolton - Lake Las Vegas.
6= Lonestar - Sunset Station.
6-7= Gun & Knife Show - Cashman Center.
12-13= Jerry Seinfeld - Caesars Palace.
12-13= Brad Garrett - Mirage.
13= Avril Lavigne - Hard Rock The Joint.
13= Boyz II Men - Mandalay Bay Beach.
====================================
Please e-mail errors, omissions and additions to:
[email protected]
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 9
You think you know what goes on in here?
You don’t have a clue.
Find Out What REALLY Was Happening At Cheetahs
Available Now At All Las Vegas Borders Books
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 10
Commentary: Albert Thomas
Price Targets
Every day in any financial publication you
will find the Wall Street mavens giving their
predictions on many stocks. It was issued here
and should go there. It is now undervalued and is
worth that much more. Really?
Has anyone gone back to check out these
predictions? I haven’t, but I know that as a stock
increases in price these same geniuses continue to
raise their target prices. How they arrive at these
mysterious numbers is beyond me. When their
price target is reached do they ever tell you to
sell? Not that I can recall. And if it starts down do
you ever hear from them again. Not hardly. They
are now predicting some other stock.
All this is done in loud voices and big headlines. There are many reasons given as to why
XYZ will go to $230. And maybe it will, but
when it gets there (if it does) what do I do? Not
one of the Maul Street crowd ever tells you to
sell.
Price targets are like doing research. Both
are worthless as far as making money in the stock
market is concerned.
Here is the secret of how to make money in
one of those hot-shot stocks. First don’t pay any
attention to projected price by any broker. They
don’t know. All that talk is window dressing to
get you to buy. Remember there is someone willing to sell to you at that price.
And second you should be selling out near the
top (not at the top). It is not that difficult to do,
but you won’t get this from your broker. Since
no one knows where the top is then you have to
let the market action tell you when to take your
profit. How? With a trailing stop loss order.
Let’s say this hummer took off from $14 and
it is now $35. WOW! Should you buy it? If the
public relations is new and you want to take a
chance then buy it, but have your exit strategy in
place. The media blitz for this stock says it will
go to $90 and sure enough it does, but it keeps on
going. It went right through its target and is now
in outer space above $150 and still has rocket
fuel to burn. Your trailing stop is now somewhere
about $125 to $135. This beauty tops at $255
and plays around there for several weeks when
it starts down and hits your stop at about $230.
Aren’t you glad you didn’t sell at $90?
The above stock will be nameless here, but I
did see this happen and it finally ended down at
$2.50. That is why buy and hold should not be in
your lexicon if you are an investor.
Price targets are there for the gullible investors. Learn to use this Wall Street trick to your
advantage by using a trailing stop.
AL THOMAS
Al Thomas’ best selling book, “If It Doesn’t Go
Up, Don’t Buy It!” has helped thousands of
people make money and keep their profits with his
simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter and
receive his market letter for 3 months at www.
mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he’s the
man that Wall Street does not want you to know.
www.lasvegascrooks.com
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 11
Commentary: Diane Grassi
Gallantry In Time Of War
Is Gender-Blind
“I’d give anything to have 10 minutes with Sam now. But I don’t think
she should be limited by politics. It’s equality and it’s choice.” Those are
the words of Bob Huff, who is the father of 18-year-old Army Pfc. Sam
Williams Huff of Tucson, AZ. Sam is one of 37 servicewomen who have
been killed thus far in the War in Iraq among the 15,000 female troops serving there. She died on April 17, 2005 serving with the 504th Military Police
Battalion when a roadside bomb hit her Army Humvee. Huff’s job included
backing up soldiers during enemy roundups, guarding an Iraqi police station
and chauffeuring dignitaries to and from the dangerous roads leading to and
from the airport in Baghdad.
Sam Huff had big plans too. She was going to serve five years in the
Army, earn a Master’s Degree and work towards becoming an FBI profiler.
Her father Bob, a retired police officer in Tucson, AZ, is married to Maggie
Williams Huff, who served as an air-traffic controller with the Marine
Corps in the Vietnam War. Neither parent ever discouraged their daughter’s
enlistment and service in Iraq and both are most proud of her bravery albeit
her ultimate sacrifice. Army Pfc. Sam Williams Huff is buried at Arlington
National Cemetery.
On June 16, 2005, Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, also with the military police
serving on behalf of the Kentucky National Guard, became the first female
soldier since World War II to be awarded the Silver Star, the third highest award given for gallantry. The last woman to receive the Silver Star
was Mary Louise Roberts, who was an Army nurse. She served in a field
hospital during the Battle of Anzio in Italy. Roberts ignored orders to take
cover as shrapnel was decimating her surgical tent. She instead remained in
order to “help her boys.” Hester’s medal however is the first ever awarded
a female GI while fighting an enemy.
While caught in an ambush, south of Baghdad, Sgt. Hester and her
unit were patrolling midday on March 25, 2005 near Salman Pak, Iraq,
south of Baghdad, when a convoy of 20 civilian trucks nearby came under
attack. Hester and her unit, the 617th Military Police Company, sped three
Humvees through weapons fire, turning up a dirt road to cut off the attack
by more than 30 insurgents armed with assault rifles, machine guns and
rocket propelled grenades, according to the military.
Sgt. Hester and her soldiers stopped their Humvee vehicles while firing
at the attackers with automatic rifles and grenades until they found cover
behind a bunker. Hester and another soldier ran into a trench, firing at three
or four fighters just 150 feet away. When all was said and done after the
90-minute firefight, the Americans killed 27 insurgents and wounded or
captured seven others. Hester’s award citation states, “Her actions saved the
lives of numerous convoy members.” She additionally gave medical attention to several others. Another female soldier in Hester’s squad, Specialist
Ashley Pullen, was issued a Bronze Star, also for taking part in the attacks
and providing medical care to her fellow soldiers.
Meanwhile as the face of the military has now included female faces
in its portrait of the bravery of its troops’ serving in the War in Iraq, and
especially in 2005, on Capitol Hill the debate raged on this past May
for two weeks over whether to scrap nearly 22,000 positions now avail-
able to women in the Army. The Republican leadership in the House of
Representatives sought legislation in the Defense Authorization Bill (H.R.
1815) for fiscal year 2006, to limit women soldiers’ role in forward support units for combat personnel. Officially in January 2005 the Army’s 3rd
Infantry Division started deployment of female soldiers as forward support
companies for combat units, which precipitated the call for the amendment
of the House bill.
At issue is the 1994 Pentagon policy that bars women from engaging
in direct ground combat units below the brigade level or in the front lines.
Yet women have been used in expanded roles in the War on Terror in both
Afghanistan and Iraq partially due to a shortage of active-duty recruits,
as many of these roles are filled by Army reservists and members of the
National Guard. As Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee,
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), believes that the Pentagon violated its own
policy. Hunter wanted his proposed amendment “to prohibit the assignment
of female soldiers to Forward Support Companies (FSC).”
Lt. Gen James L. Campbell, director of the Army staff, in a letter to Rep.
Ike Skelton (D-MO) communicated that an effort to eliminate women from
‘direct ground combat’ would ban women from filling roles in certain support units ultimately wiping out the 22,000 Army jobs and that the Armed
Services Committee was applying a narrow interpretation of the Pentagon’s
policy. Female soldiers provide infantry, armor and artillery units with the
necessary equipment, ammunition, maintenance, food and other supplies in
combat zones. Leading Army groups, top military officials and Democrats
and other Republicans worked in concert to defeat the amendment, which
according to a letter signed by 27 Democrats to Hunter would “tie the hands
of military commanders in a time of war and undercut recruiting and careers
of women in addition to being confusing and detrimental to units by sending
the wrong message to all troops presently serving under fire.”
Adding to the confusion is the ever-present lack of clear battlefield
boundaries as Iraq is a guerilla war. Roadside bombs and grenades explode,
regardless of gender. And what are considered traditional roles women are
primarily performing, which are serving in supply units, with the military
police and as medic teams, are just as exposed to attack as the infantry units.
The definition of combat units includes infantry, armor, Special Forces,
field artillery and combat engineers.
But in a strange twist, with the Democrats rallying with the Pentagon and
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the amendment to H.R. 1815 itself
was amended on May 26, 2005 with decisions regarding the role of women
in combat zones left up to the Pentagon. However the passed defense authorization bill includes the requirement that the Secretary of Defense review
implementation of the 1994 Pentagon policy on how it assigns jobs to
women in combat zones in accord with the 1994 policy. Secretary Rumsfeld
must report to the Congress on the review by March 2006. Additionally, the
time required by the Department of Defense to advise the Congress was
extended to 60 days from 30 days when assigning women to “units such as
infantry, armor and artillery.” The proposed Senate Defense spending bill
does not address the issue of the roles of women in the military and it is not
expected to arise there when final legislation is expected to pass this July.
Says Bob Huff, “Every time I start feeling sorry for myself I think, there
are about 1,600 other parents feeling the same thing. It doesn’t make a difference whether their kids are young or old, male or female.”
DIANE GRASSI
www.lasvegascrooks.com
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 12
Commentary: Joyce Meyer
What Are You
Trying to Prove?
Do you ever feel as if you need
to prove yourself to other people? If
so, you are not alone. Many people
struggle with this problem because
they are not secure about who they
are, and usually they are trying to
overcome past hurts through their
own efforts. But that will never
work.
Only God can free us from
shame, blame and the abuses of the
past, and provide what we need to
be spiritually healthy and whole. He
is just waiting to give it to us, but it
requires action on our part. We must
recognize our need and receive the
love of God for ourselves, letting
His love heal us inside.
God’s good plan for our lives
includes loving others, and we cannot love other people until we have
been healed enough to love ourselves. We can do little loving things
once in a while, but we’ll always fall
back into wrong habit patterns until
we accept all that God wants to do
in us.
We need to stop paying attention
to the negative things people have
said about us and start listening to
what God says about us in His Word.
When I was growing up, people
told me that I would never amount
to anything, but Jesus proved them
wrong. And if you’re tired of living
your life based on what others have
said about you, God will do the
same for you.
As Christians, we have an
inheritance—we can receive God’s
love and righteousness because of
Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. We
don’t get it because we have a perfect performance every day. We
inherit eternal life because we love
Jesus and accept the salvation He
purchased for us. Those who have
accepted salvation and truly learned
to love God, themselves, and others
have nothing to prove.
Unlike religion, which gives us
a set of rules and regulations to
follow if we want to be right with
God—the Bible says we are made
right by faith in Jesus Christ, and He
even gives us the faith. We are made
right because of His goodness, and
when we believe in Him, He can do
wonderful things in our lives.
People who truly love God and
have nothing to prove have no need
to compare themselves with anybody—and that is freedom to the
max! Can you begin to taste a little
bit of that freedom—the awesome
life you have when you’re not trying
to prove that you’re okay? If you
have nothing to prove, then you’re
free to love other people, which
is God’s ultimate purpose for your
life.
You can even learn to love those
who have hurt and mistreated you—
in fact, this is what God wants you
to do. He instructs us in Luke 6:35,
Love your enemies and be kind and
do good…. Those who hurt us and
mistreat us have hard hearts, and
they need love. And I’ve learned in
my own experience that love can
melt even the hardest heart.
If you are a Christian, you are
the righteousness of Christ, and that
means you have nothing to prove.
You are free—really free—to walk
in love, giving to others and ministering to their needs. As you are
obedient to Christ’s command to
love and serve others, you will experience the freedom and joy of truly
walking in love.
JOYCE MEYER
For more on this topic, you may order
Joyce’s six-part series, Walking in
Love, which is available by calling
1-800-727-9673 or you may order
online at www.joycemeyer.org.
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 13
Gafforini, Clark Split Super Late Model Wins Bullring
By TARA BARKIS
Special To The Penny Press
It was an exciting night of racing
at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway Saturday night with twin
30-lap Super Late Model features
during the NASCAR Dodge Weekly
Series
Super Late Model driver Spencer
Clark qualified first for the first
of two 30-lap feature events. He
started second after a two car invert
in the 30-car field.
Scott Gafforini started on the
pole and led the entire race taking
his second checkered flag of the
season.
“That was a great race,” said
Gafforini. “Spencer Clark was great
too. This is what I do for a living.”
In the second Super Late Model
event, Mike Cofer started on the pole
based on a four-car invert. Spencer
Clark took the lead on the first lap
11 and maintained his position to
collect his fourth checkered flag of
the season. Thane Alderman took
second place. Finishing third and
fourth were Tom Lovelady and Scott
Gafforini.
“We had a problem during the
first race but we got it fixed,” said
Clark. “The car will be even better next week. I want to thank my
father and all of the fathers in the
stands that came out tonight.”
Jonathan Mawhinney was the top
qualifier in the Delta Gunite Legends
Semi-Pro division. Mawhinney,
Bear Rzesnowiecky and Johnny
Morrissey exchanged the top-3 positions throughout the race. Morrissey
made a pass for the lead on lap 19
and went on to win his second 25lap feature. Mawhinney finished
second followed by Rzesnowiecky
and Matt Williams. Rich Lombardo
was fifth.
Dustin Ash was the top qualifier
in the Delta Gunite Legends Pro/
Masters division. At the checkered
line it was Josh Gross just .0012
of a second in front of Rick Rogas.
Ken Neff finished third followed by
Robby Guevara and Ron Booth.
Brian Matzke won his fourth 3888-LAW Charger feature. Finishing
second was Jim Petrie followed by
Phil Goodwin and Mike Heck.
Bandoleros driver Broc Murphy
posted his first win this season in
the 15-lap feature event. John Davis
finished second followed by Jimmy
Rouse, Jr. and Beau Hutchinson.
Tom Gallagher collected his
first victory in the 40-lap 7-Eleven
Bullring Bombers feature followed
by Dyne Beaver and Gary Wyatt.
Johnson, 6. Travis Swalwell, 7. Chuck Trickle, 8. Dustin Ash, 9. Taylor
Barton, 10. Richard Bridges, 11. David Anderson, 12. Steve Anderson,
13. Rich Attasani, 14. Jeff Shafer, 15. Bobby Wickey, 16. Ray Hooper,
17. Eric Bauer, 18. Dexter Bean, 19. Mark Shackleford, 20. Bob Barker,
21. Billy Mitchell, 22. Dennis Rock, Jr., 23. Brett Edwards, 24. Ron
Overman, 25. Nick Parmelee. (First-place finisher Scott Gafforini was
disqualified due to post-race inspection.)
Super Late Models Main Event No. 2 Results (30 laps): 1. Spencer
Clark, 2. Thane Alderman, 3. Tom Lovelady, 4. Justin Johnson, 5. Taylor
Barton, 6. David Anderson, 7. Steve Anderson, 8. Richard Bridges, 9.
Chuck Trickle, 10. Mike Cofer, 11. Eric Bauer, 12. Rich Attasani, 13.
Ray Hooper, 14. Jeff Shafer, 15. Travis Swalwell, 16. Ron Overman,
17. Dennis Rock, Jr., 18. Dustin Ash, 19. Mark Shackleford, 20. Bob
Barker, 21. Billy Mitchell, 22. Klye Cline, 23. Brett Edwards, 24. Bob
Wickey, 25. Dexter Bean. (Fourth-place finisher Scott Gafforini was
disqualified due to post-race inspection.)
Official results from Bullring,
June 18
Chargers Main Event Results (30 laps): 1. Brian Matzke, 2. Jim Petrie,
3. Phil Goodwin, 4. Mike Heck, 5. Dale Ward, 6. Nate Giesen, 7. Steve
Dessormeau, 8. David Gola, 9. John Della-Penna, 10. Mario Opipari, 11.
Bill Mullen, 12. Jerry Gentry, 13. Justin Good, 14. Steve Simon.
Super Late Models Main Event No. 1 Results (30 laps): 1. Spencer
Clark, 2. Thane Alderman., 3. Mike Cofer, 4. Tom Lovelady, 5. Justin
Legends Semi-Pro Main Event Results (25 laps): 1. Johnny Morrissey,
2. Jonathan Mawhinney, 3. Bear Rzesnowiecky, 4. Matt Williams, 5. Rich
Lombardo, 6. Andrew Murphy, 7. John Hans, 8. Austin Murphy, 9. Eric
Chelberg, 10. Keith Wellman, 11. J.T. Montes, 12. Phillip Morrissey, 13.
Chris Shorten, 14. Kyle Huender, 15. Audrey Ross, 16. Suave Brachowski,
17. Cassie Gannis, 18. Brandy Radke, 19. Jeff Craig.
Legends Pro/Master Main Event Results (25 laps): 1. Josh Gross,
2. Rick Rogas, 3. Ken Neff, 4. Robby Guevara, 5. Ron Booth, 6. Larry
Toddy, 7. Darin Carlton, 8. Kurt Minnick 9. Fletcher Hammond, 10. Ed
Hohman, 11. Jim Galza, 12. Dustin Ash, 13. B.J. Bollman.
Bandoleros Main Event Results (15 laps): 1. Broc Murphy, 2. John
Davis, 3. Jimmy Rouse, Jr., 4. Beau Hutchinson, 5. Justin Hurdle, 6.
Conner Kassik, 7. Austin Craig, 8. Jacob Bishop, 9. Trevor Hurdle, 10.
Mitchell Taylor, 11. Lucas Reilly, 12. Cheyanne Schindler.
Bullring Bombers Main Event Results (40 laps): 1. Tom Gallagher,
2. Dyne Beaver, 3. Gary Wyatt, 4. Trevor Colons, 5. Vinny Raucci, 6.
David Ford, 7. J.J. Nunn, 8. Matt Cunningham, 9. Wade Pearson, 10.
Brent Rawlings, 11. Chad Burton, 12. Brent Leonard, 13. Russell Ward,
14. Anthony Finley, 15. Andrew Power, 16. Ken Marr, 17. Joe Crouch, 18.
Artie White, 19. Warren Harris, Sr., 20. Chris Gray.
July 30, 2005
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 14
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 15
Pet Of The Week
Adopt This Pet !
Riley is a 1 year old
female with a wonderful
temperment. She is
a spayed Dalmation/
Pointer mix. Riley has
a girly bark and loves
to play. She plays well
with other dogs, and
is current on yearly
vaccinations.
Riley
would love to play with
children and be a jewel
in the home.
If you are looking for a pet we will do our best to find you a pet that
fits your needs and you will fit theirs.
This is just one of the pets awaiting a loving home.To inquire about
a certain pet you can e-mail us at: [email protected]
or call 361-2484. Also, we need kitty litter and food donations.
Betty Honn founded Southern Nevada’s first no-kill, non-profit
animal sanctuary in 1968. Since then, volunteers, contributors and
patrons have made our daily operations possible.
Betty passed away in 1997, but not before saving countless
thousands of animals from needless euthanasia. Her daughter, Teresa
now continues the work, and is committed to fulfilling her mother’s
vision.For more than 30 years, from kittens to Kodiaks, Betty Honn’s
Animal Adoptions, Ltd. has provided refuge for animals.
When You're At The
Speedway, Eat Where
The Pros Eat!
The FAST LANE Cafe
Footsteps Away From The Speedway
6825 Speedway Blvd
702-651-9977
WE CATER
SOUVENIRS, DIE CAST,
COLLECTIBLES
13" Italian Sub $5.96
13" French Dip Sub $5.96
3 Egg Breakfast $4.96
THE PENNY PRESS, JUNE 23, 2005 PAGE 16