Judge Ramsey fights City Hall

Transcription

How Ted Cruz went
from candidate to
cautionary tale
Hawk v. hawk: Can GOP
balance fiscal goals with
higher military spending?
PAGE 4
PAGE 6
Volume 17, Issue 3
Opinion: Meaningful
surveillance reform must
prioritize civil liberties
lasvegastribune.com
PAGE 7
March 25-31, 2015
Ward 5 Chamber of Commerce Member
Judge Ramsey fights City Hall
By Rolando Larraz
Las Vegas Tribune
A group of North Las Vegas concerned citizens has come forward
to defend and protect a judge that
is fighting the bullies in city hall —
led by a mayor and his terrified followers — and they now also have
to contend with a corrupted campaign controller from Las Vegas,
Dave Thomas, who is giving the
bench a bad name.
Most of the time a judge is criticized for putting people behind bars
for “unjustifiable” reasons or when
they have not been proven guilty
beyond a reasonable doubt.
But now this group of North Las
Vegas citizens is siding with one of
two North Las Vegas Municipal
Court judges, defending her from
“the city hall bullies” to protect her
job against a recall petition led by
infamous campaign instigator and
controller, Dave Thomas, from the
neighboring city of Las Vegas.
North Las Vegas Municipal
Court Judge Catherine Ramsey was
elected to the bench in 2011. A year
and a half after being sworn in, the
My Point
of View
By Rolando Larraz
Most definitely, the more politicos I know the more I love my pet
and the more I appreciate her loyalty and love for me.
We probably all have heard the
question, “How do you know when
an attorney is lying?” to which the
answer is, “When his lips move up
and down,” but we can apply that
same Q & A to politicians.
When they are running for office, they know everyone; some
even can call you by your first name
and remember to ask you about
your son or daughter.
Once the election is over and
they win, they are “too busy” to
talk, much less to hear what you
have to say to them.
Any ideas you may have, you
need to pass along through the assistant, the right-hand man (usually)
— or just “my man,” “the one who
keeps track of my stuff”; but in any
case, the politico won’t have time
for you then.
Election time is time to attend
all the community events and all the
parades and patriotic celebrations
and speak all the languages in the
world as if what they were speaking was their own language.
The word that might be synonymous with politicians would be hypocrisy, because being hypocritical
seems to be second nature to politicians since they do it very well and
people accept it as normal behavior, as long as they are able to pose
with the politician for one or two
photos so they can brag to their
friends about the close friendship
they have with the politician that
only comes around during their
election season.
But now let’s turn the tables
around; let’s talk about the people
that approach the candidate at election time. The first question these
people ask when someone asks for
their help to elect one or another
candidate is, “What’s in it for me?”
with no concern for even knowing
the ideas of the candidate, his or her
principles, or even party affiliation.
It is important to learn about the
candidate, the ideologies that may
motivate the candidate and why the
candidate made the decision to run
for that office.
When a political candidate says
that the reason for running is to
“give back to the community,” we
need to ask what is behind that
“generous gesture” because most
likely the candidate is not going to
“give back” but to use the position
(See My Point of View, Page 2)
North Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge Catherine Ramsey
new administration, under the new
mayor, has created a dictatorial regime.
The old and often-heard adage
“You are either with me or you are
against me” is sounding more like
“You will obey me or you are out
of here,” according to employees
afraid to confront the new North
Las Vegas Dictator/Mayor, John
Lee, who has managed to keep everyone in the North Las Vegas city
government terrorized — except for
Judge Ramsey.
It is a fact that nobody wants to
go to jail or be picked up on a warrant, but if it happens, one does
hope the judge will make sure the
warrant is a valid one.
When the new mayor of North
Las Vegas took over, he ousted several existing staff members to replace them with his own. The Review-Journal reporter, James
Dehavenon, in August of 2013, re-
ported “a major shakeup is underway at North Las Vegas City Hall,
but newly elected Mayor John Lee
insists it is a friendly one.
“City Attorney Jeff Barr and
City Manager Tim Hacker handed
in their resignation letters within
hours of each other [last] Wednesday. Each leaves the city after about
two years on the job.”
And that is when Judge
Ramsey’s odyssey began: a former
judge staff member, Sandra Douglas-Morgan, went on to become an
“acting city attorney” under some
kind of political blackmail when
she refused to sign the warrants
until she was made permanent in
that position.
The city attorney did not provide
her signature for the forms until
February of the following year. For
months, failure to appear charges
were issued with the WRONG
(See Ramsey, Page 7)
WILLIAM S. SKUPA
agement, and special purpose entity management.
Monte has worked in and for the
banking industry over 40 years and
served on the Board of Directors of
the Federal Home Loan Bank of
San Francisco from 2004 to 2007.
Miller currently serves on the
boards of The Las Vegas Global
Economic Alliance, UNR Foundation, Keystone Corporation and
Nevada Policy Research Institute.
Las Vegas Tribune has not been
able to find out how he became
wealthy and influential in Nevada,
but the newspaper knows that by
using age discrimination against
Watkins and Skupa, he did behave
unethically, out of order, and unconstitutionally.
The Supreme Court’s new term
started off with a bang on Oct. 7
with the oral arguments in Madigan
v. Levin, a major age discrimination case. Harvey Levin, 61, was
asking the Court to decide whether
the federal Age Discrimination in
Employment Act (ADEA) blocked
him from asserting any claims he
might otherwise have under the
U.S. Constitution.
Here’s the lowdown:
After a long career during which
he says supervisors reviewed his
work positively, Levin was fired
from his job as an Illinois assistant
state attorney general. His replacement? A lawyer in her 30s. What’s
more, two other older attorneys
were also fired, and the office later
hired younger ones. (The AG’s of(See Discrimination, Page 4)
Committee violates Constitution and
openly discriminates against applicants
By Rolando Larraz
Las Vegas Tribune
A member of the judicial committee to recommend judge applicants openly committed a discrimination against two of the applicants
by explicitly telling them that “I am
looking for younger people” and
sending them on their way. Neither
of the candidates was selected as
one of the three finalists.
Both attorneys, who have a long
history in the legal profession, a
good reputation, and are respected
by a great majority of their colleagues, were shocked to hear
Monte Miller tell them that he was
looking for younger people to be
seated on the bench, showing his
lack of finesse in dealing with individuals who most likely are more
prepared, educated and more
knowledgeable of the U.S. Constitution than he might be.
Attorneys John Watkins and
William Skupa were openly discriminated against by one member
of the committee; all members of
the committee were present, includ-
JOHN G. WATKINS
ing Chief Justice James Hardesty.
Miller, who was also friends
with former Governor Jim Gibbons,
was temporarily appointed to this
committee by his friend, Gov. Brian
Sandoval.
Monte Miller is the Founder and
Executive Chairman of The Key
State Companies, which began over
20 years ago and now provide fixed
income investment, advisory and
management to community banks,
captive insurance company man-
Ted Cruz becomes first major candidate
to announce presidential bid for 2016
By Nick Corasaniti
and Patrick Healy
New York Times
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Senator
Ted Cruz of Texas announced on
Monday morning that he would run
for president in 2016, becoming the
first Republican candidate to declare himself officially in the race.
Linking the determination of his
immigrant father with the resolve
of the founding fathers and his own
faith in “the promise of America,”
Mr. Cruz spoke at length about his
family and his faith as he laid out a
case for his candidacy.
“God’s blessing has been on
America from the very beginning
of this nation, and I believe God
isn’t done with America yet,” Mr.
Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, formally announced his 2016
presidential bid on Monday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.
Cruz said before thousands of
cheering students here at Liberty
University. “I believe in you. I believe in the power of millions of
courageous conservatives rising up
to re-ignite the promise of
America.”
“Today, I am announcing that I
am running for president of the
United States,” Mr. Cruz added.
“It is a time for truth, it is a time
for liberty, it is a time to reclaim
the Constitution of the United
States.”
Mr. Cruz, a first-term senator, is
seen by Republicans and Democrats as a divisive figure in Washington, but as a truth-telling hero to
many conservatives and evangelical Americans.
FROM THE DESK OF GORDON MARTINES
Keep Crime Going to Keep the Money Flowing
By Gordon Martines
It is all about the money, sad but
true. In the latest revelation from
LVMPD, they may be finally sorting out the problem with the police
radio system. Good old Motorola
Radio Company is coming to the
rescue; a company, I might add,
which has had a history of quality
police radio communications for
several decades for most police departments.
The problem that I see is that the
LVMPD police administration is
slowing up progress in that they
need to find a way of covering up
the $42 million fiasco that was the
result of the Harris Corp. radio system that still exists in the police
department. But before anyone can
proceed with this replacement radio system, monies that were spent
on the failed Harris Corp. system
need to be recouped. That could
prove to be very embarrassing in
that some of those taxpayer mon-
ies went into the personal pockets
of the previous police administration, some of whom are still active
in the present police administration,
and who have escaped — for now
— any ties to the HOA scandal.
According to the mainstream
news media, litigation between the
LVMPD and the Harris Corp. are
being conducted. Well, according
to the previous police administration (former Sheriff Douglas
Gillespie), those litigations were
being conducted in 2010 during the
period that the Harris Corp. faulty
police radio system was being
scrapped. It should be noted that the
Harris Corp. police radio system,
which was introduced into the
LVMPD in or around 2007, was
previously known to have had several pending lawsuits against them
for providing faulty radio equipment to police departments across
the United States. Some of these
(See From the Desk, Page 8)
Page 2 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / March 25-31, 2015
Federal bureaucrats create redundant rules
to solve a nonexistent problem with fracking
By Thomas Mitchell
Our Washington puppet masters
are always in search of a problem
to solve, and they invariably find a
solution even if they can’t find a
problem.
The Interior Department Friday
released a lengthy set of rules for
fracking on public lands, which
means about 87 percent of Nevada.
“Current federal well-drilling
regulations are more than 30 years
old and they simply have not kept
pace with the technical complexi-
ties of today’s hydraulic fracturing
operations,” said Interior Secretary
Sally Jewell in a press release, never
mind that hydraulic fracturing has
been used in a majority of oil and
natural gas wells since the 1940s.
“This updated and strengthened
rule provides a framework of safeguards and disclosure protocols that
will allow for the continued responsible development of our federal oil
and gas resources. As we continue
to offer millions of acres of public
lands for conventional and renewable energy production, it is absolutely critical the public have confidence that transparent and effective safety and environmental pro-
TRIBUNE
The
VOL. 17, NO. 3
FOUNDER
Rolando Larraz
PUBLISHER
AND
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Rolando Larraz
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Quote of the Week:
“I am convinced that material
things can contribute a lot to
making one’s life pleasant, but,
basically, if you do not have very
good friends and relatives who
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things cease to be important.”
—David Rockefeller
Please Note:
Noble Energy rig in Elko County
My Point of View
(Continued from Page 1)
as a stepping stone to advance his
career more than anything else.
If they really want “to give back
to the community,” the voters
should not abuse such generosity
and not let the candidate “give back
to the community” more than three
terms; that is a pretty good giveback period of time.
During three terms they will
have had enough time to make connections, to get some people obligated to them to offer them a good
job when they leave politics, to get
well established and leave with a
prestigious job on their resume.
If the president of this great nation can “give back” in two terms,
the rest of us can also give back to
the people in two terms and no
more, regardless of how good their
job has been.
It is the community, the voters,
the constituents, who should work
with these office-holders to make
sure that we all look at the same
target or focus.
My problem in life is that I believe in being honest, truthful and
loyal — especially loyal; I cannot
stand traitors, double-crossers and
betrayals.
It is my firm belief that if a person is truthful, he/she will be better
respected than a two-faced hypocrite, because with a hypocrite, one
never knows if the person is telling
the truth or not.
The other day I was telling a
friend that I am very lucky because
in all the years I have been here, I
can go anywhere and I don’t have
to hide from anyone.
Many people may disagree with
me; they may not like what I have
to say and on many occasions they
may not like how I say it, but they
can never say that I lie, that I play
the two sides of any issue, or that I
have been disrespectful.
And that is why I get disappointed when politicians try to insult my intelligence by pretending
to be what they are not. I may even
get angry (or insulted) when they
think that because I speak with an
accent I think with an accent be-
cause that is far from the truth.
My ex-wife once told a friend of
mine that she cannot hate me because I never lied to her; from the
very first day I told her that I was a
no good SOB and that she would
be better off without me, but she did
not listen or believe me, so the marriage only lasted nine years. But
now, whenever we run into each
other, we are able to talk and be
cordial to each other like normal
human beings.
Respect is a very important thing
in life; if one doesn’t respect the
other person, how can one expect
to get respect back?
Yeah, I know I expect the impossible of this world we are living
in nowadays, but what can I say or
what can I do? I am too old now to
change my old habits.
Getting back to the politicians
and office-holders, this week is
early voting for the municipal elections in Las Vegas and North Las
Vegas, so before you make your
selection, read the ballots and learn
as much as you can about the candidates before casting your vote.
Look at the bright side: it is not
like any other election where many
candidates are running for the office; this time Las Vegas has one
judicial candidate and three offices
in the city council, so it is not that
difficult to learn about the candidates and try to make the best
choice possible to ensure that the
next four years we will have the best
we can have in local government.
We need to do that, not just for
ourselves, but for the future generations to come.
Good luck to you all, and let’s
hope we make the right choices that
will benefit the whole community,
not just one person.
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 702-868-NEWS (6397)
tections are in place.”
Also, never mind that the states
currently regulate fracking and
there have been virtually no problems or water contamination associated with the process. Pay no heed
to the fact the states maintain the
power to regulate water within their
boundaries or the state’s maintain
police powers over federal land
within their boundaries.
Nope, they are from the federal
government and they are coming to
save the day with job killing,
economy choking regulations such
as:
—Provisions for ensuring the
(See Fracking, Page 6)
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CITY BEAT
Don Noble, Wood Turner
Dennis Johnson, Glass Sculpter
March 25-31, 2015 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / Page 3
Jonathan Kates, Tie Dye Artist
Craft Festival returns to the Las Vegas Cashman
Center for its 33rd Annual Festival, April 10 to 12
The Craft Festival returns to the
Las Vegas Cashman Center for its
33rd Annual Festival, April 10 to
12, 2015. This high quality festival
was the very first public event at
the Cashman Center in March of
1983. The Craft Festival has become a Las Vegas tradition during
its 33 years.
Two-hundred craft workers from
all over the United States will be
showing their fine wares. There are
people exhibiting at this annual festival from as far away as Montana,
Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico,
Washington and Oregon. This show
demands that all exhibitors present
and maintain high standards of
originality. The Craft Festival does
not allow any mass produced, imported or commercial items to be
sold at this event. All work featured
for sale and display is created by
the artist in the booth. Craft categories include: jewelry, pottery,
leather, woodwork, fiber, glass,
sculpture, toys, fine art, and weaving.
“Come see for yourself, the quality of the show is unsurpassed,”
says promoter Steve Powers. “Real
artists and craftspeople are pretty
much a vanishing bred. It’s not an
easy way to make a living. They
travel thousands of miles each year
hoping to make a profit so they can
put food on their families table, pay
their mortgages and keep self-employed,” Steve continues.
The Craft Festival is a handmade
in America craft show. Made in
America craft shows are very rare
these days. Steve Powers maintains
his show standards by allowing
only original handmade in America
work by the exhibitor. His loyal
customers expect that and he has
adhered to this standard for the past
32 years.
Admission for Adults: $7.00;
Seniors 65+: $6.00; Ages 12-17:
$2.00; children 11 and under are
admitted free.
Hours: Friday: 10-6 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday: 10
a.m.-5 p.m.
The Cashman Center is located
at 850 N Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV.
For more information visit
www.stevepowers.com/public/
LasVegasSpringPublic.html.
*****
Pinoy Pride Celebration
brings Filipino heritage to
the Downtown Las Vegas
Events Center, April 3-5
Pinoy Pride Celebration, a cultural event showcasing the rich history and traditions of the Philippines, will take over the Downtown
Las Vegas Events Center April 3-5,
2015.
The weekend will be filled with
the tastes, sounds and spirit of the
Philippines including performances
by musical groups REBEL
SOULJAHZ and ONE MAGICAL
NIGHT, as well as a traditional
Santacruzan parade.
Guests will also enjoy authentic
Filipino street food, shop for unique
gifts from craft vendors and partake
in traditional carnival rides and
midway games. Locally based artists, comedians, dance troupes and
musical groups will perform each
night, including the following:
Friday, April 3,
open 11 a.m. to midnight
Prices: $10 for adults; $8 for
children, military, seniors
Guests will be dancing in the
streets for headliners, REBEL
SOULJAHZ, a groundbreaking
reggae group from Hawaii. The day
will be filled with other captivating performances and celebrity appearances from New Age Tribe,
ST1, Remy Ione and Janoe Kalawa,
HI Grooves, Bengali Arkangel,
Natalie Kalei, Junior Rupley and
Rock [HI] Sound System.
Saturday, April 4,
open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Prices: $15 for adults; $12 for
military and senior; $8 for children
Super VIP Tickets (First 3 rows
seating with Photo-Op) — $99 (VIP
Tickets (Reserved seating with
Photo-Op) — $75
Day two of the Pinoy Pride Celebration will continue with performances from a diverse collection of
musical groups, headlined by ONE
MAGICAL NIGHT featuring
Daniel Padilla, Kathryn Bernardo,
Kim Chiu, Xian Lim, Marcelino
Pomoy and John Sweets Lapuz, as
well as a Festival Queens Parade by
Kalahi. Other performers and celebrity appearances include Prodigy
Dance Crew, Reinalyn Lapena,
Kids Fusion, Tinikling by Apaa,
Esmeralda Padilla Gould, Gideon
Agaton, De Dios Sisters, Rau
Tamanui, Maharlika, Bibaak,
Megan Williams, Sophia Ramos,
Jazzy Cadiente, Richard Aguila,
Hip Hop by Apaa, Pera o Bayong,
Prodigy, Elmer Abapo, Zally Pooza
and more.
Sunday, April 5,
open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Free entry
To commemorate Easter Sunday, a traditional Santacruzan parade will be held on the grounds.
Featuring elaborate costumes representing the Virgin Mary, these
religious ceremonies are celebrated
by Filipinos all over the world.
There will also be exciting performances and appearances from Venz
and Johanne, Sache Erickson, Las
Vegas Fil-Am SDA Choir,
Catherine Davila, Hip Hop by
Apaa, Jazzy Cadiente, Jamie Lynn
Cutler, Esmeralds Padilla Gould,
Gideon Agaton, Richard Aguila,
Danielle Abella, Tagalog Medley
by R&R, Haka by Appa, Kids Fusion, Elmer Abapo, Prodigy Dance
Crew, Rey Kilay and Vivorah, Zally
Pooza and more.
Pinoy Pride Celebration will feature a variety of diverse food vendors, including authentic cuisine
from Aloha Kitchen, Nek Nek Mo,
Balut and Cooking Ng Ina Mo.
The Downtown Las Vegas
Events Center is located on 200 S.
3rd Street and Carson Avenue adjacent to the D Las Vegas. For more
information,
visit
www.pinoypridelv.com.
*****
Charities hosts an Easter
Party for children in need
More than 500 children will receive Easter baskets thanks to local parishes.
Catholic Charities of Southern
Nevada is celebrating Easter early
this year, with a holiday party for
children in need. More than 500
Easter baskets will be given to preregistered clients.
During the event, clients will
enjoy refreshments and receive special Easter baskets filled with
candy, toys, stuffed animals and
other holiday treats. Volunteers
from the CCSN Foster Grandparents program and Migration &
Refugee services will be offering
balloon art and cotton candy in the
courtyard. Local parishes such as
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Thomas More Catholic Community,
Our Lady of Las Vegas, and St. Joseph Husband of Mary will donate
the Easter baskets.
The children receiving the Easter baskets are pre-registered clients
of many of Catholic Charities existing programs, including the
Homeless To Home Program, Migration and Refugee Services, WIC
and Social Services.
Saturday, March 28, 2015, between 9 a.m.–11 a.m.
Catholic Charities of Southern
Nevada (Agency Classroom and
Courtyard, 1501 Las Vegas Blvd.
North (Las Vegas, NV 89101
*****
Study: Not all states have
adopted effective underage
drinking laws
A groundbreaking study on underage drinking laws led by James
Fell, former MADD National
Board Member, was published in
the World Medical and Health
Policy, a quarterly peer-reviewed
journal.
The study, “Scoring the
strengths and weaknesses of underage drinking laws in the United
States,” by Fell and researchers
with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE),
found major disparities in underage
drinking laws across the 50 states.
Researchers examined the strengths
and weaknesses of 20 expanded
laws in terms of coverage, sanctions
for violations, exceptions and ease
of enforcement related to underage
drinking.
“We were surprised to find that
nearly half of the states have
adopted 13 or fewer laws, while
only one state (Utah) has adopted
all 20 laws,” said Fell, PIRE senior
research scientist. “In fact, only five
of the 20 laws have been adopted
by all states and the District of Columbia.”
All 50 states have adopted a core
minimum legal drinking age of 21,
and many underage drinking laws
are credited for significant reductions in the number of fatal crashes
involving underage drivers.
Researchers found a direct correlation between stronger laws for
underage drinking and reductions in
fatal alcohol-related crashes caused
by underage drivers. The Use and
Lose law and the Zero Tolerance
laws, for example, have both been
shown to reduce the rate of fatal
crashes caused by underage drinking drivers by 5 percent each. While
all states have a Zero Tolerance law,
not all have adopted a Use and Lose
law (only 39 states and D.C. have
these laws). This study demonstrated that the inclusion of a laws’
strength provides a more accurate
understanding of the impact of laws
on related outcomes.
“Our earlier work shows that
implementing core possession and
purchase laws leads to significant
decreases in the number of fatal
crashes involving underage drinking drivers,” Fell said. “For example, we estimated that if all states
adopted fake identification supplier
laws, 30 lives a year would be saved
— currently, 14 lives are being
saved in the 24 states that have the
law. Why would states not want
such laws on their books?”
*****
City Beat is a compilation of
news and views of our editorial and
writing team, along with reader
submissions and topics. Readers
are invited to suggest a local topic
or any other items of interest.
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How Ted Cruz went from candidate to cautionary tale
After Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz announced his candidacy on Twitter, the
snarky backlash on the social network was unprecedented. What went wrong?
By Lisa Suhay
Christian Science Monitor
A Georgetown University media
and politics expert says that Sen.
Ted Cruz (R) of Texas just went
from presidential hopeful to a fable
about the political risks of social
media.
On Monday, the senator announced his candidacy for U.S.
president on Twitter, a platform
used by many politicians to announce their election bids.
But this time, the hostility from
Twitter was unprecedented. Diana
Owen, associate professor of communication, culture, and technology
at Georgetown University, describes it as “not like anything
we’ve seen before.”
Of the viral, and largely comic,
response currently taking place
under
the
hashtag
#TedCruzCampaignSlogans, she
says, “This is going beyond what
we’ve seen happen when a candidate announces on social media.”
To Professor Owen, who teaches
a graduate seminar on social media
in elections, a campaign must have
staffers fluent in the language of social media long before officially
launching. Her students are currently working on a book on the issue, and she says that Cruz’s campaign likely just earned itself a cautionary chapter.
“Social media is being used to
polarize elections. The playbook is
being made up right now. The media is so dynamic it’s just not prudent to announce on Twitter unless
you know how to manage the
double-edged sword you’re using,”
holder a bit embarrassed and bewildered.
“He [Senator Cruz] made the
mistake of perhaps not knowing
what he was getting into on Twitter. He’s up against aggressive campaigners in the DNC who really
know how to use social media,”
says Owen. “While I teach my students how to use social media responsibly, once they transition into
the campaign realm they turn all
that on its head.”
Asked what countermeasures
she would advise those in Cruz’s
circumstances to do in order to
TED CRUZ
she says.
She says she suspects that the tag
may have been “hijacked by a aggressive DNC social media operative” whom she herself trained, saying, “This is what one of my former
students, now high up in the DNC
social media’s team, does every
day.”
“Of course it’s difficult, if not
impossible, to prove that a social
media reaction isn’t grassroots because of the nature of the beast and
its inherent anonymity,” Owen says.
Owen suggests that a good parallel for understanding the dynamics of what just happened to the notso-Twitter-savvy campaign is to
imagine being a non-French
speaker in Paris, phrase book in
hand, and blurting a poorly accented “Bonjour!” to a crowd of
snarky people.
The resulting flow of French response would leave the phrasebook
Discrimination
fice and Levin disagree about
whether the new employees were
replacements; Levin argues that
they were, while the AG’s office
says they were assigned to different cases.)
Levin sued under the ADEA,
which prohibits job discrimination
on the basis of age. He also argued,
using another federal law, that his
civil rights were violated because
he was denied equal protection of
the law.
Although it may sound as if
Levin had a lot of ammunition
against the AG’s office, the trial
courts tossed out his ADEA claims
pretty unceremoniously, saying the
law was intended to protect employees, not political appointees (as
he was).
Levin’s attorneys then turned to
Plan B, arguing that the AG’s office had violated his constitutional
rights. Illinois Attorney General
Lisa Madigan countered that Congress intended for the ADEA to be
the sole remedy for age discrimination claims.
After a lot of debate, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals sided
with Levin, although other appeal
courts have answered the same type
of question differently. It said that
even with the ADEA on the books,
employers still have to act constitutionally. When they don’t, the
court said, wronged employees can
sue, even if they’re not covered by
the ADEA. Age discrimination in
the workplace occurs whenever an
employee or prospective employee
is treated more or less favorably
than another based on their age and
that is exactly what Monte Miller
did with Watkins and Skupa, perhaps with the blessing of the Chief
Justice of the Nevada Supreme
Court.
Las Vegas Tribune emailed the
Supreme Court spokesperson to get
a comment from the Chief Justice,
but it did not receive a reply on time
for this newspaper edition.
It was obvious that another applicant, Eric Johnson, an employee
of the U.S. Attorney, Las Vegas office, and the husband of Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Susan
Johnson, was favored by selecting
him to one of the two open seats. It
is unknown if the selection committee was planning to recommend the
judge’s husband to one of the two
open seats, creating a court nepotism such as it was while Kathy and
Jerry Hardcastle were both on the
bench.
make a political and social media
recovery, Owen says, “If Senator
Cruz wants to come back from this,
unfortunately, the only thing to do
at this point is to not just let it go.
What’s out there now is simply too
destructive to let stand without response. He will have to engage in a
media war of sorts.”
“Senator Cruz also seems to be
one of those candidates who really
lend themselves to being lampooned,” she adds.
While the effective and aggressive use of social media was successful during President Barack
Obama’s campaign against Mitt
Romney, Owen points out that no
candidate should enter into a social
media without someone very savvy
on their campaign team.
Owen recalls a student of hers
who worked for the Mitt Romney
campaign.
“Although, even when the Republicans have a great social media person on staff, they don’t always listen to their suggestions,”
she says. “My student wanted to get
aggressive on Twitter, and the RNC
leaders just wanted another radio
spot.”
Henderson Councilman
Bateman Double-Dipping
Special to the Las Vegas Tribune
Chief Deputy District Attorney
Councilman Sam Bateman is asking Henderson voters to let him
double dip for another four years.
He is running for re-election to
Henderson City Council, hoping
that no one will notice he continues his employment with Clark
County while he sits on Henderson
City Council. Sam Bateman has
been with the Clark County District
Attorney’s office since 2004 and
was elected to Henderson City
Council in June 2011.
Yesterday afternoon Robert
Sulliman, Clark County Republican
Party Commission District A
Trustee, filed a complaint with the
Nevada Attorney General Public
Integrity Unit.
“The real concern here is open,
transparent and fair government,”
said Sulliman. “Residents in
Henderson deserve an elected
leader who they believe will be
impartial when casting a vote. At
the same time, the taxpayers of
Councilman Sam Bateman and
Henderson City Councilman
Clark County deserve a Deputy
District Attorney who is enforcing
the rule of law with full impartiality.”
The complaint specifically
points to a violation of Section 1,
702-622-8907
20% discount to all new clients
Article III of the Nevada Constitution, and the law on separation of
power, reads as follows:
The powers of government of
the State of Nevada shall be divided
into three separate departments —
the Legislature, the executive and
the judicial; no person charged with
the exercise of powers belonging to
one of these departments shall exercise any functions appertaining to
either of the others, except in cases
herein expressly directed or permitted.
Nick Phillips, Clark County Republican Party Political Director
notes, “It is very disappointing that
Councilman Bateman is unwilling
to honor the separation of powers
enshrined in our Nevada Constitution.”
Sandoval to voters in 2014: Help me ‘keep taxes low’
Roberson also touted fighting
‘for tax cuts’ in 2014 election
By Victor Joecks
In campaign materials sent during the 2014 election, Gov. Brian
Sandoval told voters that he wanted
to “keep taxes low.”
A campaign flier was paid for by
the Nevada Jobs Coalition PAC and
was sent in support of now-Senate
Majority Leader Michael Roberson.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal describes the Nevada Jobs Coalition
PAC as “largely funded by Gov.
Sandoval’s New Nevada PAC.”
The flier (copy printed on right)
featured this quote from Sandoval
endorsing Roberson:
I strongly support our State Senate Republican Leader Michael
Roberson. Michael and I have
worked together to create more jobs
and get our economy moving again.
We need Michael’s leadership in
the Nevada State Senate to keep
taxes low and reform public education. [Emphasis added.]
Last week, Gov. Sandoval’s proposal to transform the state business
license fee into a hybrid Gross-Receipts Business License Tax was introduced into the Nevada Senate as
SB252. Combined with making
permanent the sunset taxes that
Sandoval previously had pledged to
end, his Gross Receipts BLT would,
if passed, constitute the largest tax
increase in Nevada history.
The 132-page bill — with 164
enumerated sections — would lump
every Nevada business into one of
over a score of different categories,
each with its own escalating tax bill
subject to eternal political tinkering.
Roberson has pledged to try and
ram this tax increase through the
Senate by the end of March. Last
spring, however, Roberson was literally sending voters a very different message. Facing a conservative
primary challenger, Roberson sent
a flier to voters claiming, “Only one
Republican candidate for State Senate... Fights for New Jobs, Fights
for Tax Cuts.” [Emphasis added.]
Less than a year later, however,
both politicians are beating the
drum for the largest tax increase on
Nevadans in state history.
This isn’t the first tax flip-flop
for either politician.
In 2010, both Sandoval and
Roberson also pledged not to raise
taxes. On the July 13, 2010, edition
of Nevada Newsmakers, then-candidate Sandoval stated:
The bottom line is this. It’s my
belief that we have to balance that
budget without raising taxes.
However, Sandoval as governor
signed extensions of the sunset
taxes in 2011 and 2013.
In an interview the day after his
2015 State of the State address,
Sandoval revealed that his tax-increase plan was the very reason he
ran for office in 2010.
Last night was why I left the
bench. That’s why. I guess, not the
reason. I left the bench to get Nevada back on its feet and now, to
take Nevada to the next level — to
help build this new Nevada. So I
am absolutely hyper-focused on this
job.
Roberson signed a Taxpayer
Protection Pledge in 2010, vowing
to voters in his district that he would
oppose any attempts to raise taxes.
He did just that in 2011, but his
policy positions changed as he
moved into legislative leadership.
He voted for the sunset taxes in
2013; told voters in 2014 he supported tax cuts; and now supports
the largest tax increase in state history in 2015.
Raising taxes isn’t Sandoval’s
only flip-flop on taxes. In 2013,
Sandoval boasted in his Executive
Budget Introduction about exempting a company’s quarterly wages of
$85,000 from the Modified Business Tax. “This is expected to save
businesses $24.3 million in the
2013-2015 biennium as nearly three
out of four non-financial businesses
subject to the Modified Business
Tax in the 2013-2015 biennium will
owe nothing,” Sandoval said in his
budget document.
Two years later, a major justification for the Gross Receipts BLT
is that it’s broad-based, while less
than 5 percent of companies pay the
MBT. This is an issue Sandoval created with his own policies, but now
his team and Roberson are trying
to spin this as a failing of the MBT
and not Sandoval’s prior policies.
VICTOR JOECKS
The 5 percent claim is also misleading, because it includes in the
pool of total companies around
200,000 business filings where the
company, while registered here for
tax purposes, conducts no operations in Nevada. Attempts to tax
those businesses will likely lead to
a mass exodus to more tax-friendly
states, such as Wyoming, and reduce the current business license
fees currently paid to Nevada.
These flip-flops highlight a disturbing pattern of self-professed
conservative politicians telling voters one thing in an election year,
then doing the opposite thing once
they’re safely in Carson City.
The actions of those elected officials are part of the reason why
politician has come to be seen by
so many as a dirty word.
Victor Joecks is executive vice
president of the Nevada Policy Research Institute. For more visit
http://npri.org.
Hawk v. hawk: Can GOP balance fiscal
goals with higher military spending?
The budget presents a thorny political challenge for congressional Republicans: Fiscal hawks call
for a tighter focus on debt reduction, while defense hawks say a strong U.S. military is paramount.
By Mark Trumbull
WASHINGTON — Republican
lawmakers are pushing to pass budget plans this week that aim to constrain the size of government while
also freeing defense spending from
arbitrary caps.
It’s a thorny political challenge,
since in both the House and the
Senate some conservatives call for
a tighter focus on fiscal discipline,
while others say that effort
shouldn’t get in the way of maintaining a strong U.S. military.
Even if Republican majorities in
the two chambers do rally around
budget plans in votes this week,
things could get more complicated
from there on the road toward the
new fiscal year, which starts on
October 1, 2015.
Here’s a briefing on the issues
in play:
1. Republicans who control
Congress have recently released
budget plans. What are their key
goals?
The House and Senate plans differ in details but share an
overarching theme. They’d put a
sharp squeeze on the growth of government spending, compared with
status quo projections for the next
decade. In their vision, federal deficits would eventually come down
to zero by 2025, without raising
Fracking
new tax revenue.
Spending cuts would hit food
stamps, welfare, and the size of Pell
Grants for college.
Medicare would also face cuts,
with the Senate leaving the details
to be determined later and the
House budget outlining changes
that critics deride as using vouchers to “end Medicare as we know
it.”
Behind all this is the idea that
leaner government, low taxes, and
a shrinking debt burden will help
Americans have a stronger
economy — with more money to
invest in the kind of private sector
activity that raises productivity and
incomes.
Outside policy analysts say the
Republicans use accounting tricks
to claim that balanced budgets can
arrive without new taxes.
2. How does this differ from
President Obama’s budget proposal?
The Obama plan calls for about
$50.3 trillion in federal spending
over the next 10 years, while Republican outlines come in more
than $7 trillion below that mark.
The White House sees its plan racking up an estimated $5.7 trillion in
deficits, while the Republican deficits would total about one-fourth of
that figure for the decade.
The big theme of the Obama
protection of groundwater supplies by requiring a validation of well
integrity and strong cement barriers between the wellbore and water
zones through which the wellbore passes;
—Increased transparency by requiring companies to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing to the Bureau of Land
Management through the website FracFocus, within 30 days of completing fracturing operations;
—Higher standards for interim storage of recovered waste fluids
from hydraulic fracturing to mitigate risks to air, water and wildlife;
—Measures to lower the risk of cross-well contamination with
chemicals and fluids used in the fracturing operation, by requiring
companies to submit more detailed information on the geology, depth,
and location of preexisting wells to afford the BLM an opportunity to
better evaluate and manage unique site characteristics.
Less than a year ago, Nevada Division of Minerals Administrator
Rich Perry released Nevada’s 20-page revised rules that require groundwater testing before and after drilling, pressure testing of equipment,
notifications to landowners before fracking begins and abiding by strict
engineering standards.
Redundancy from the bureaucracy.
The oil and gas industry immediately filed suit in Wyoming to block
the rules, calling them “arbitrary and unnecessary burdens” for industry.
The Congressional Western Caucus criticized, saying the process
adds costly red tape and bureaucratic uncertainty to the oil and gas
permitting process on federal lands.
“The Department of the Interior has yet to demonstrate why a federal hydraulic fracturing rule is even necessary in the first place with
states already regulating the practice effectively within their
borders,”said Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. “This
rule jeopardizes these efforts by forcing states to jump through bureaucratic hoops just to reclaim their authority to regulate drilling and
wellhead activities that have been under their purview for decades.
The federal government is the newcomer in this space, bringing nothing to the table except more red tape and more barriers to energy production on federal land that continues to lag far behind the energy
boom on state and private lands. This rule disproportionately impacts
the very western states whose energy reserves are a necessary ingredient to achieving lasting American energy security.”
Thomas Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, said,
“The Obama administration’s hydraulic fracturing rule is a solution in
search of a problem.”
The final rule is nearly 400 pages of bureaucratese.
budget proposal is “middle class
economics.” The Republican
agenda would undercut the investments in education, infrastructure,
and job training that are needed for
average workers to prosper, he argues.
Both sides say they’re keeping
an eye on the need for fiscal discipline.
The House Republican budget
sees national debt falling by 2025
to 55 percent of one year’s gross
domestic product. The progress
would come by having debt grow
slower than the GDP.
Obama touts the goal of stabilizing the national debt at about 73
percent of GDP — with the prospect of reducing it from there if the
two sides can agree on reforming
entitlement programs.
For reference, public debt stayed
below 40 percent of GDP for most
of the period between 1960 and
2008.
3. Both sides say they want to
end the spending caps called sequestration, partly to allow
higher defense spending. Could a
shutdown happen if they can’t
agree on that?
In the 2011 Budget Control Act,
both parties agreed on arbitrary
spending limits to put some brakes
on future deficits, even if Congress
couldn’t agree on a formal budget
plan. This sequestration system is
disliked by both parties. But where
many Republicans worry especially
about the impact on defense spending, Democrats also lament the
squeeze on domestic spending.
Even if Republicans agree on a
budget blueprint, that will need to
be followed up with appropriations
bills. Obama may veto bills that
don’t end the arbitrary caps.
And among themselves, Repub-
licans are having to bridge a divide
between fiscal hawks, whose priority is spending cuts, and defense
hawks who say national security
will suffer if the caps for military
spending aren’t lifted.
If all these differences don’t get
worked out, it’s possible the nation
could enter the new fiscal year in
October without legislation to fund
the government. A partial government shutdown (involving activities
deemed nonessential) would follow
until a plan emerges.
4. Is it true that Obamacare
could also be affected by the budget?
Yes and no. Republicans would
love to pass a measure to repeal the
Affordable Care Act, and the budget offers a way around the threat
of a filibuster by Democrats in the
Senate. But Obama would surely
veto the ACA repeal. Still, Republicans see all this as a way to keep
their “repeal and replace” idea alive
heading into the 2016 presidential
election.
Here’s why the budget opens the
door to a repeal bill. Passing a budget can be done with a simple majority vote (no need for 60 senators
on board to override a filibuster
threat), and it doesn’t require a
presidential signature. In turn, the
budget resolution can include language that paves the way for something called “reconciliation” — a
vehicle for passing certain additional budget-related bills by majority vote.
5. What’s the strategy now for
both sides?
For Republicans, even agreeing
among themselves won’t be easy.
After separate passage in House and
Senate, the two budget plans would
need to be merged in a joint conference committee, in a way that
retains majority support.
If that effort is successful, it
would set the stage for an
Obamacare repeal measure. But
agreeing on a budget wouldn’t settle
the question of what can actually
be spent for defense and non-defense programs in 2016. That’s because the follow-on spending bills
require a presidential signature.
Obama will use his platform as
president to push for plans closer
to his own budget vision. And, to
avoid a shutdown, the two sides will
need to find a path forward that’s
palatable enough by the time the
new fiscal year starts on Oct. 1.
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Opinion: Meaningful surveillance
reform must prioritize civil liberties
The Surveillance State Repeal Act would roll back some
of the worst constitutional abuses that have resulted from
the U.S. government’s widespread spying practices. While
it has received backing across the political spectrum, the
act needs broad public support to become a reality.
By Sascha Meinrath
Now is the time for meaningful
surveillance reform. Across the political spectrum, from the progressive left to libertarian right, there is
widespread agreement that mass
surveillance has exceeded the
bounds of legality, morality, and
efficacy.
Today, the key ingredients for a
successful surveillance reform
agenda can be found in the boldly
titled Surveillance State Repeal Act.
Among its bold provisions, it
repeals the Patriot Act and the excesses of the 2008 amendment to
the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. It would also restore our
civil liberties by clearing out legislation that even the Patriot Act’s
main
author,
Rep.
Jim
Sensenbrenner (R) of Wisconsin,
has stated is extremely troubling.
The Surveillance State Repeal
Act begins with the right questions:
What parts of these laws, which
have proven to be the catalysts for
widespread civil liberties violations, should we even keep? What
kinds of surveillance actually work?
While many have made light of
Benjamin Franklin’s quote, “Those
who would give up essential liberty,
to purchase a little temporary safety,
deserve neither liberty nor safety,”
few have trivialized the conditions
undergirding his missive —
namely, that interpretations of law
were often “‘of an extraordinary
nature,’ without informing us
wherein that extraordinary nature
consisted,” and rejected participatory democracy for “disagreeing
with new discovered meanings, and
forced constructions of a clause in
the proprietary [secret] commission.”
attorney’s signature. Those warrants are invalid, and that is why
Judge Ramsey did not issue them.
However, the city attorney can
correct this and refile the charges
within one year. The city attorney
claims to be too busy and doesn’t
want to do the extra paperwork.
The invalid warrants are still
active in the system. The city attorney dismisses them in court as they
surface and when people have been
arrested on them.
But someone has to be blamed
for their mistake, laziness and arrogance, so they are “blaming
Ramsey for their mistake and say it
is costing the City thousands of
dollars and trying to remove her
from the bench,” a source told the
Las Vegas Tribune.
Why Judge Ramsey and not the
other judge in Department 2 people
may ask, and the answer is both
simple and obvious: because of religious and political motivations.
The religious motive could be
that Judge Catherine Ramsey is a
female, and the first female judge
in North Las Vegas Municipal
Court. Many believe the Mormon
Church has the tendency to not give
women the respect and the credit
they deserve in such positions.
The judge in Department 2, on
the other hand, is a member of the
Mormon Church. (The Book of
Mormon says that the true church
must have the name of Christ in it
and it is therefore now known as
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — LDS.) As an LDS
follower, that judge seems to follow or obey Mayor Lee’s wishes
and commands.
Judge Ramsey actually tried to
minimize their error early on by
asking her staff to issue bench warrants instead of failure to appear
charges, on October 28, 2014.
City Attorney Sandra DouglasMorgan did not fix the problem on
her end until February. Judge
Ramsey actually took steps to minimize the number of invalid warrants
being issued by the City Attorney’s
office, but the bullies insisted on
blaming her for the problems they
created.
Las Vegas Tribune has information, not confirmed at press time,
that they may want to replace Judge
Ramsey with Sandra Douglas-Morgan — to gain control of the court
just as they have taken city hall
hostage — perhaps with the help of
the North Las Vegas Police Union
and other terrorized city employees;
every employee the newspaper has
spoken with has shown their courage by talking to the newspaper
ONLY on the condition of anonymity, and in some instances made us
swear that we would not give up
their name.
Enter political bully and campaign controller Dave Thomas, who
up to now has been involved with
only the Eighth Judicial District
Court and one Justice Court race,
but with six years until the next
election and plenty of free time
ahead, is extending his tentacles to
the city of North Las Vegas to control those benches.
Most Eighth Judicial District
Court and Family Division courts
are afraid of the Dave Thomas
modus operandi and dare not speak
on the record, but Judge Ramsey
does not appear to be intimidated
by Thomas’ cruel way of conducting business.
Thomas may have proposed to
use Sandra Douglas-Morgan knowing that she is working closely with
Mayor Lee’s team to open doors in
North Las Vegas to later place his
own puppet judge in her place, but
the people of North Las Vegas may
not allow that to happen.
Dave Thomas is getting away
with it in the RJC and Las Vegas
Justice Court because the voters
were taken by surprise and the
judges are too afraid of him; but
North Las Vegas is a smaller court
and it is very difficult to manipulate the voters in that city.
The group defending Judge
Ramsey is very open and very active, opening a bank account with
the Wells Fargo Bank for those who
want to help Judge Ramsey with the
cost of fighting these political attacks and the takeover of the courts
in North Las Vegas. The account is
under the name Retain Judge
Ramsey and the number is
7689181605.
Efforts to get a statement from
Judge Ramsey were not successful
for this edition of the Las Vegas
Tribune, but the newspaper is positive that may change for the April
1 edition. The newspaper also believes that with some effort, it can
bring Judge Ramsey to Face The
Tribune radio show on a later date
to air her version of the political
attacks.
Las Vegas Tribune has been familiar with Judge Ramsey since the
2011 election when the newspaper
endorsed her for the judgeship that
Dave Thomas now wants to strip
away from the people of North Las
Vegas. She was interviewed by the
endorsement committee that year;
some of the members of that then
endorsement committee are still
part of the newspaper and remember they were impressed with the
then candidate for the North Las
Vegas judgeship.
Ramsey
The parallels to the current surveillance state that the proposed
repeal act aims to address couldn’t
be clearer.
Previous reform efforts have
floundered because they compromised — attempting to lessen the
diminution of our freedoms, rather
than prioritizing our inherent and
inalienable right to “the preservation of life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness.”
Surveillance reform needs
grassroots support — same as the
millions of people who killed the
Stop Online Privacy Act in 2012 by
overloading congressional phone
lines — in order to pass, and Americans of all stripes are only mobilized by unambiguous and forceful
legislation to protect their rights.
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From The Desk
lawsuits are still pending. Sadly, the
Federal Government is adopting
this same system, but what the heck
— it’s not their money they’re wasting.
I am sure the use of “Non-Disclosure agreements” will prevail
and keep the truth and facts of this
matter from the public.
So, if my math is correct, the
faulty police radio system was
adopted in 2007 whereby the new
Harris Corp. digital system was
merged with the old police analog
system until the new digital system
could be totally converted to work
as the primary police radio system
for the LVMPD and other smaller
police agencies.
This radio conversion never happened, and in 2010, former Sheriff
Douglas Gillespie announced that
the digital Harris Corp. police radio system, which cost $42 million
of taxpayer dollars, was not working out and that Motorola Radio
Company was being consulted to
fix the present police radio system
for another additional $26 million.
Now let’s see: that amounts to 68
million dollars of taxpayer monies
and the police radio system is still
not fixed. And let’s not forget that
two high ranking police administrators resigned and went to work for
Harris Corp. between 2007 and
2010.
Some may argue that it takes
time to implement and convert a
new radio communications system
in any organization, and that everyone needs to be patient and wait for
the good things to happen. I hope
everyone remembers when this corrupt fiasco started and that it is continuing as we speak (2007-2015).
Just for yucks, an audit should be
done of how many complaints of
faulty radio communications were
logged, and how many officers and
citizens were injured or killed because of this corrupted untimely
money-grabbing tax monies rip-off
police radio scheme. I was but one
of a few who openly complained
about the credibility of this Harris
radio company and it’s faulty equip-
ment in 2007. I was told directly by
my immediate supervisor to shut
my mouth or face insubordination
charges along with several others.
The public may not know this, but
police officers are under a gag order.
Attrition, time and our money
are on the side of the criminals associated with this fraudulent incident, which also includes Malfeasance and Political Corruption.
Historian Stimulators, like myself, will continue to remind the
community of these wrongful past
deeds by our “protectors” and leaders who are still attempting, via
newspaper and wrongful prosecution of lowly Oath-fearing police
officers, to cover up and smooth
over past wrongful deeds and actions that were committed by the
LVMPD Police Administration. A
perfect example of what I am talking about is the 2007 beheading
murder of LVMPD Officer Kevin
Scott Dailey, whereby the LVMPD,
Henderson P.D., and the Clark
County Coroner’s Office are all allegedly complicit in its commission
and coverup. Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you.
It saddens my heart to have to
share the above facts and circumstances with the community, since
the LVMPD was and still is my
missed and beloved police department, to which I devoted my 36year career, working for and defending this organization, while
serving my community faithfully,
and with honor. Unfortunately, my
beloved police department has over
the years become infected with a
violent corrupted destructive cancer that still attempts to mask itself
with phony public revelations and
tries to exude honorable present day
acts and deeds. Before any acts by
the LVMPD can be construed to be
truly honorable, past criminal acts
need to be rectified publically and
honorably.
It is pretty simple: keep a problem going without a resolution so
as to keep the money flowing. Otherwise, if the problem is solved, the
money to solve the problem stops.
RadioTribune Lineup
Open Mic
Every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 a.m., Gordon Martines hosts
“Open Mic,” a popular RadioTribune.com show. The Anti-Corruption
Coalition of Nevada is the basis for and theme of “Open Mic.”
Gordon Martines was a career police officer with 39 years of on-thejob 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.
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!
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.
Face the
TRIBUNE
‘Face the Tribune’ is hosted
by Rolando Larraz.
Monday thru Friday
at 12 noon
on www.RadioTribune.com
Open Mic
with Gordon Martines
11:00 a.m.
Tuesday and
Thursdays
on
RadioTribune.com
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
Did Cruz imagine
that we never
thought of liberty?
Last Monday, Texas Senator, Ted Cruz, announced his
intention to run for president of this great nation. It could
have been a historical moment for those who are anxious to
have a president with a Spanish surname, but Sen. Cruz
imagined too much during his speech. He imagined so much
that he had to go back sixty years into his father’s country
of origin and wound up talking about things that sounded
like he had no idea what he was talking about.
“I want to ask each of you to imagine: imagine millions
of courageous conservatives, all across America, rising up
together to say in unison, “We demand our liberty.”
We have no idea how long it’s been since the illustrious
senator arrived in this nation from Canada, but shouldn’t he
have known that people here have been demanding liberty
for a very long time? People all over this nation, people
who have finally been freed from prison after doing eighteen, twenty, twenty-eight or thirty years for a crime they
did not commit.
Just in Nevada alone there are people doing time as political prisoners for crimes they did not commit; people like
Officer Ron Mortensen, who is paying for a crime committed by another officer.
Kirstin Lobato, the woman who was sent to prison at the
age of 18, and has been in prison for over a decade because
the judge in the case did not allow the jury to learn that she
was not physically in Las Vegas when the crime was committed, is still doing time in prison because the District Attorney refuses to allow the DNA test that would prove her
innocence.
People like Donovan Joseph. A DNA test proved that he
was not involved with the woman that the DA alleged he
intended to sexually attack — but the results were not used
in court; and the District Attorney’s Office paid for plane
tickets and hotel accommodations for that woman’s parents
and several of her friends, and they never testified in the
trial.
And many others are doing life in prison just to please
someone with power, or some capricious elected officials.
“Instead of small businesses going out of business in
record numbers, imagine small businesses growing and prospering. Imagine young people coming out of school with
four, five, six job offers.”
Maybe we could, if the RINO governor of the State of
Nevada did not want to raise the state business license fees
for those who are not in a position to pay that astronomical
fee to operate in the city or the county.
In the old days only those with privileged licenses needed
a state license to operate in our jurisdiction, but none of our
so-called leaders do anything to stop the unfair and stupid
state license requirements for small business operators.
Imagine, imagine, imagine, Mr. Cruz, if you could only
think before you talk... Or even if you could imagine how
this wonderful nation that welcomed your father with open
arms could still be if you would leave the politics to others
who have more common sense and none of the resentment
that you seemed to show for the mistake your father made
early in life.
Imagine!
Yes, “Imagine” is the most creative and open-ended word,
a word that has no boundaries, no restrictions, no grammatical rules defining how it must be used... “Imagine” is a word
that has it all, and a word many of us enjoy using.
We can’t blame Sen. Cruz for wanting to use the word
“imagine” as liberally as he did, even if he used it about as
creatively as someone would use the word “eat” when asked
by someone what they should do when they are hungry.
Liberty is a good word also, just as motherhood and apple
pie are good words. People often sprinkle their speeches
with certain “good” words to create a certain effect, but when
they say things that seem to sound ridiculous to the listeners
who get the feeling he’s ignoring reality by making such
statements, there goes the value of his “good word.”
We would all like to imagine a country where justice always prevails and no innocent person goes to prison. We
would all like to imagine a country where those who wish
to start a business are able to do so and encouraged to do so
and even “rewarded” for doing so, by not having to pay
outlandish fees for the privilege of doing so. We would all
like to imagine politicians who always tell us the truth, who
do what they say they’re going to do, and are available to
listen to their constituents at any time. We would love to
imagine a country that has a balanced budget, a working
peace treaty with the rest of the world, policies in place to
aid those truly in need and to catch those who are scamming
the government, the taxpayers, and anyone else to feed their
own greed.
We would love to imagine the very best we could have in
this country, but we don’t have to imagine wanting liberty.
We already have a statue that stands for all that Sen. Cruz
wants us to imagine!
Just say no to doubling
the minimum wage
By Thomas Mitchell
Office reported that as many as 16.5
In a sane world, one would feel
million American workers were then
reassured that Senate Joint Resolubeing paid less than $10.10 an hour.
tion No. 8 would never see the light
The CBO estimated that if the miniof day, but we are talking about the
mum wage is increased by that much
Nevada Legislature, where anything
it would cost half a million to a milcan and does happen.
lion jobs, cutting those workers’
Therefore, we feel obliged to
minimum wage to zero.
shine a bright light on this cockroach
The CBO did not estimate how
in hopes that it will skitter away into
the subsequent increase in the cost
a dark corner and never again
of goods and services would hurt
emerge.
those on fixed incomes, such as reSJR8, sponsored by Las Vegas
tirees.
arch-liberal Democratic state Sen.
According to the American EnterTHOMAS MITCHELL
Tick Segerblom, would double the
prise Institute, when the minimum
minimum wage Nevada businesses would have to pay wage rose 41 percent between 2007 and 2009, the jobemployees. It would raise the minimum wage from less rate for 16- to 19-year-olds increased by 10 per$7.25 for workers with health benefits or $8.25 for centage points, from about 16 percent in 2007 to more
those without those benefits to $15 and $16, respec- than 26 percent in 2009.
tively. Those rates would automatically increase if the
Due to inflation, the real purchasing power of the
federal minimum wage were raised beyond that and current minimum wage is about the same as it was in
would be indexed to rise with the cost of living.
the late 1960s, according to Pew Research. Raising
If this monstrosity were to pass, it would destroy the minimum wage may momentarily lift a few above
jobs, increase unemployment and drive many busi- the poverty line, but it will drive others into unemnesses into bankruptcy.
ployment and onto welfare, possibly for life.
Segerblom has upped the ante. A year ago he
Now, Segerblom wants to double down with SJR8.
penned an op-ed for the Review-Journal endorsing Fortunately, the joint resolution sought would have to
President Obama’s call in his 2014 State of the Union pass in this legislative session and the next one in 2017
speech for raising the minimum wage to $10.10 — an and then go to voters in 2018 before it could take efincrease of merely 40 percent.
fect.
Without a shred of supporting evidence or docuThe harm this bill will do, especially combined with
mentation, Segerblom averred, “The benefits are so- the governor’s huge tax hikes and the imposition of
cial as well as economic. Raising incomes of workers ObamaCare on businesses, is incalculable but obvito decent levels would strengthen families, stabilize ously astronomical. It would leave many low-skill
neighborhoods and schools and reduce crime. I be- youthful job seekers facing a lifetime on the dole. Lawlieve the time has come for Nevada to take action. As makers should drive a stake through its heart now.
the president has said, ‘You’ve got a choice. You can
Thomas Mitchell is a former newspaper editor who
give America the shaft or you can give it a raise.’”
now writes conservative/libertarian columns for weekly
At about the same time, the Congressional Budget papers in central Nevada.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE
Voices from the past:
Conversation between two siblings
By Maramis
“outsiders” (those who were other
My sister sent me a CD last week
than his own family). He managed
and I just got to listen to it this mornto become a self-educated man foling. It is a recorded conversation
lowing his strict religious education
between my father and his sister,
at a Benedictine Brothers academy
both of whom have long since passed
in Savannah, GA — at which he
away.
punched the principal in the nose —
How it came to be recorded I do
taking great pride in all he learned
not know, but after hearing it all the
on his own. I remember being someway through, I can only imagine that
what fascinated by the little bits of
my father intended for it to be reinformation he would occasionally
corded to add to his “collection,” if
share, reminding us all that he knew
you will, of all the other conversawhat he was talking about, or that he
MARAMIS CHOUFANI
tions he had recorded for the express
had a brain in his head. He would
now and then brag that he could carry on a conversapurpose of “just in case.”
My father was a man who didn’t mince words. tion with anyone — a scientist, lawyer, or mathematiWhen I was growing up, I did not necessarily see him cian — and hold his own. And he could.
He was rather proficient in math, and would someas a man who didn’t know how to control his temper,
as a man who would say and do whatever his emo- times insist that he knew a better way to arrive at the
tions led him to say and do regardless of how it would answer to a problem that I was working on as a homecome across or how it would hurt people; I simply work assignment; however, our teacher in school insaw him — experienced him — as strict, dominating, sisted we do it her way, the official school-sanctioned
oppressive, insensitive, abusive and mean, at least to way, and not the creative way my father was teaching
me. And of course, I always wondered why he liked me. And, his handwriting was not only easy to read, it
was lovely.
to yell and lash out so much.
But to get to the most important aspect of my father
As much as I liked to have conversations — with
practically anyone — I don’t remember ever having that I saw as his “good side,” I would have to say that
one real, ongoing and fulfilling conversation with my that was his desire or dedication to help others because
father. He never asked me about what I was interested he could do just about anything, and he would espein, what I wanted to do with my life, what I thought of cially help his customers by using his talents and abilithis or that; and he never discussed the various out- ties to do what he could to make their problem go away.
comes of certain behaviors, so I could better learn to He was the best TV repairman of his time and place.
choose. Most of our “conversations” were about his He was called upon by everyone — rich and poor,
telling me what not to do and what I’d better do... if I important people and “ordinary” people — to come
over and fix their set. He made house calls at practiknew what was good for me.
Now, in spite of all that, I saw many of his good cally any time of the day or night, depending on the
qualities. When he was in a good mood, he was some- situation, although he tried to cut off all such calls on
what jolly. He enjoyed a good laugh (even if I didn’t his time after 11 p.m. out of consideration for my
always see the humor in what he was laughing at), mother. (My mother would have preferred he cut off
(See Maramis, Page 13)
and he seemed to enjoy engaging in conversation with
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.
Assembly GOP should tell Sandoval
to go back to the drawing board
funded professional budBy Chuck Muth
get analysts at his beckI remember a time back
and-call. Legislators have
in the 6th grade when I
an old Texas Instruments
turned in a book report.
pocket calculator.
Mr. Levanis reviewed it,
Legislators have neihanded it back to me and
ther time nor staff to prosaid, “This isn’t acceptduce in a matter of weeks
able. Go back and do it
what Sandoval’s army
over.”
has been concocting for
And that’s EXACTLY
over a YEAR. So if Aswhat Republicans in the
sembly Republicans have
Assembly should tell Gov.
the 15 votes to kill the
Brian Sandoval about his
Billion Dollar Tax Hike,
CHUCK MUTH
$7.3 billion budget and
corresponding Billion Dollar Tax Hike. In- they should tell the governor that, publicly,
stead, they’re feverishly and foolishly NOW.
working on alternative budgets and alterThose budget number-crunchers are
native tax hikes.
paid by taxpayers to do what the governor
This is the price Nevada taxpayers are tells them to do. And if Assembly Republibeing forced to pay for the John Hambrick cans tell Sandoval to go back and come up
Screw Job done to conservative Assembly- with a budget that meets the $6.3 billion
woman Michele Fiore before the start of allowance the Economic Forum has given
the session when the Speaker unilaterally him, that’s exactly what they’ll do.
removed her as Chairman of the Taxation
It’s not that Assembly Republicans don’t
Committee.
have the power to force the governor’s
With Fiore out of the way and a number hand. The problem is they don’t have the...
of GOP legislators sidelined by political um, well, you know.
threats or political “bribes,” Sandoval felt
Indeed, only four Republicans in the
free to officially launch this week his Assembly have told me they’re a definite
Gruberesque propaganda campaign to pass “no” on the Billion Dollar Tax Hike: Fiore,
his Billion Dollar Tax Hike — “Gruber” John Moore, Shelly Shelton and Jim
being a reference to the now-infamous MIT Wheeler. The rest have to be assumed at
professor who admitted to lying to the pub- this point to be “yes” votes unless or until
lic in order to pass ObamaCare.
such time as they publicly declare otherNow, I’m reliably told there are as many wise.
as 20 Republicans in the Assembly who will
It’s time for these fence-straddlers to
not vote for the governor’s tax hike. And it pick a side — and for taxpayers to break
only takes 15 — thanks to the Jim Gibbons out the pitchforks and light the torches!
Tax Restraint Law! — to kill it. Problem
*****
is, too many of them have nerves of rubber
Republicans to Introduce
and are scared to tell the governor that his
Alternative Billion Dollar Tax
budget is DOA and to go back and do it
Hike to Sandoval’s Billion
over.
Dollar Tax Hike!
And make no mistake; doing it over is
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R&R
the governor’s responsibility, not the Partners) made his pitch for his Billion
Legislature’s.
Dollar Tax Hike to the Legislature on
The governor has an army of taxpayer(See Chuck Muth, Page 13)
Three Difficulties Every
Leader Should Embrace
By Doug Dickerson
less. But your effectiveWhen we long for life
ness as a leader also rests
without difficulties remind
with your ability to adapt
us that oaks grow in conto your present circumtrary winds and diamonds
stances with forward
are made under pressure.
thinking.
— Peter Marshall
This can be difficult
An old woodsman
for a leader because it’s all
gives this advice for catchtoo easy and much too
ing a porcupine: “Watch
predictable to stay in our
for the slapping tail as you
comfort zones. But the
dash in and drop a large
comfort zones of yesterwashboard over him. The
day will not always serve
washboard will give you
you well tomorrow. The
something to sit on as you
DOUG DICKERSON
challenges are new and
ponder your next move.”
different. Business is not just local; it’s gloAs a leader dealing with difficulties is bal, and the way we communicate is ever
not a new phenomenon to you. Workplaces evolving. Forward thinking combined with
are an ever present source of stress in timeless values can position you for the
people’s lives. The American Institute of future and the challenges you face. Let your
Stress identified workload as the number values be your guide but keep an open
one cause of stress by employees followed mind.
by people issues, juggling work and perThe difficulty of
sonal issues, and lack of job security.
building community
Because you are surrounded by so many
Building community is an emotional
people who are stressed it’s important to investment and challenge that many leadkeep your leadership skills sharp. Difficul- ers are just not up for. It can be a thankless
ties will come to you as a leader. But here job. It’s difficult. I get it. But your success
are three you should always welcome be- as a leader and the successes of your orgacause in doing so you will be a stronger nization are directly tied to a strong sense
and more effective leader.
of community and relationships. And it
The difficulty of personal growth
begins at the top.
You have to take ownership of your perJohn Maxwell says, “Don’t ever undersonal growth as a leader. Your effectiveness estimate the importance of building relain leading your team hinges on your ability tional bridges between yourself and the
to lead yourself. It’s all too easy to put per- people you lead. There’s an old saying: To
sonal growth on the back-burner; after all, lead yourself, use your head; to lead othwe are stressed ourselves. We have meet- ers, use your heart. Always touch a person’s
ings to attend, clients to meet, personnel heart before you ask him for a hand.” When
issues to resolve, deadlines that are loom- you embrace what is difficult about building, and the list goes on.
ing relationships it will revolutionize your
But no amount of busyness will ever leadership and your results.
replace your need for a personal growth
The simple truth is this: people are your
plan. How can you grow leaders around you most appreciable asset. People are more
if there is no growth in you? Regardless of important than your brick and mortar, prodhow busy your life is you need to find the uct, or location. When you get community
time to read, join a mastermind group, at- and relationships right then everything else
tend workshops, listen to audio CD’s dur- will fall into place.
ing your morning commute, etc. ConquerBeing a leader is not always easy but
ing the difficulty of personal growth can it’s very rewarding when you embrace
be a challenge but it’s a non-negotiable one what’s difficult. When you do it changes
if you want to be effective.
everything.
The difficulty of forward thinking
What do you say?
The bedrock principles of leadership
Doug Dickerson is a syndicated columsuch as trust, loyalty, ethics, values, com- nist. He writes a weekly column for this
munication, etc. are your foundations. They newspaper. To contact Doug Dickerson,
are the principles you stand upon that keep email
him
at
ddickerson@
you grounded as a leader. They are time- lasvegastribune.com.
Attorney-Client privilege
trumps contempt
ent, Kattler.
By Mace Yampolsky
About one month later,
The U.S. Court of Apthe plaintiff moved for a
peals for the Fifth Circuit
show-cause hearing as to
vacated sanctions imposed
why Kattler should not be
against an attorney that
held in contempt for failhad properly asserted a
ure to produce a personal
privilege defense and afiPad device. Moore again
firmatively had taken
raised privilege concerns in
steps to remedy unknowresponse to produce the
ingly false prior misstateiPad device, which the
ments of fact to the Discourt acknowledged, but
trict Court. It found that a
ordered that the device
District Court had not proMACE YAMPOLSKY
should be produced anyvided procedural due process to an attorney for a sanctioned party, way. At that time, Moore represented to the
and that the District Court abused its discourt that the thumb drive did not exist. The
cretion in imposing sanctions for civil con- court did not issue sanctions at that time.
tempt against the attorney — Waste Man- After the hearing, Kattler informed Moore
agement of Washington, Inc. v. Kattler et that the thumb drive did exist, which
al., Case No. 13-20356 (5th Cir., Jan. 14, prompted Moore to consult with a profes2015) (Owen, J.).
sional responsibility expert and withdraw
At the District Court, an employer, from representing Kattler within the week.
Waste Management of Washington (WM), Kattler soon produced a declaration desued a former employee, Dean Kattler, for scribing the existence of the thumb drive.
alleged violation of an employment agreeKattler’s new attorney produced an imment by accepting a job with a competing age of the iPad device, but not the device
company. Shortly after the suit was filed, itself, and the relevant information regardthe District Court issued a temporary re- ing which Kattler asserted attorney-client
straining order instructing Kattler to pro- privilege had been electronically blocked.
duce two classes of discovery—Kattler’s WM again moved for a show-cause hearpersonal electronic devices and forensic ing for sanctions for failure to produce the
images of devices either provided by iPad device itself. The district court’s noKattler’s new employer or used by Kattler tice of hearing in response to that motion
while at his new employer. Shortly there- referred to the docket entry ordering the
after, the District Court issued a prelimi- previous show-cause hearing, which named
nary injunction and ordered Kattler to pro- only Kattler as the potential contemnor, not
duce, within two days, all devices that had Moore. At the second hearing, the court
not been given to him by his new employer. found both Kattler and Moore in contempt
The new order did not account for the fact for failure to produce either the iPad dethat Kattler’s attorney, Moore, had asserted vice or a viable image of the device, and
concerns about breaches of the attorney- for misleading the court about the existence
client privilege that would result in com- of the thumb drive. Moore appealed.
plying with the expanded order. At the same
Finding that Moore’s alleged contempt
time, the attorney also denied the existence did not occur inside the courtroom, the 5th
of a certain thumb drive [given?] to WM Circuit held that adequate notice of a charge
based on representations made by his cli(See Mace, Page 11)
BEHIND THE MIKE
The Sins of the Father
By Michael A. Aun
lic ceremonies. It’s special
In the Books of Exodus,
to me because it was durDeuteronomy and Numing the Sign of Peace at
bers, there are numerous
Midnight Mass in St.
references to the sins (or
Peter’s Catholic Church in
iniquities) of one genera1972 in Columbia, SC
tion passing to another.
when I slipped an engageEven Michael Corleone in
ment ring on Christine’s
Godfather III spoke of the
hand and asked her to
fear of his sins being vismarry me.
ited upon his children.
I thought it was a sexy
Are there varying dething to do, but my in-lawsgrees of sin? We Catholics
to-be said it would never
have your basic Venial
last. We’re still hanging in
MICHAEL A. AUN
Sins and the more severe Mortal Sins. St. there four decades later.
Thomas Aquinas indicated that a Venial Sin
Another Catholic procedure was the
differs from a Mortal Sin in the same way whole thing about not eating meat on Frithat something imperfect differs from some- day. When I was in high school, that rule
thing perfect. That leaves a lot for interpre- was still in effect in the church. I’ll always
tation.
remember how my coaches and teammates
Our faith even has this place called Pur- laughed at me for eating fish at the Friday
gatory, which is sort of a halfway house for night football team meal, calling me “fishus sinners. This led me to believe, in my eater” and “mackerel snapper.”
youth, that I could wipe the slate clean with
Finally, the Bishop gave me a Special
an honest confession of the previous week’s Dispensation that allowed me to join them
wrongdoings by simply sharing the gory in eating the team meals. That just increased
details of my sins with the Priest on the other the jokes about me being a “cat baiter,” a
side of the screen. Absolution was only a term I had never heard of in my life.
few Our Fathers and a handful of Hail
Another famous Catholic tradition is the
Mary’s away.
whole debate about birth control. We
Subjective? I suppose. Reminds me of Catholics believe in two customs relative
the time I got into a debate with a Protes- to this- rhythm and bingo. If you don’t have
tant classmate of mine when I was in the one you end up with the other, which exsixth grade. I was trying to convince him plains my ten brothers and sisters and my
that my Priest was smarter than his Minis- wife’s seven brothers and sisters. We didn’t
ter. My buddy says, “Of course he is. You sleep alone until we got married!
tell him everything in confession.”
Pope Frances is fast becoming one of
My precious grandbabies, Ava and my favorite Popes. My wife and I had the
Ashley, are studying for their First Holy honor of a private audience with Pope John
Communion, another ritual in the Roman Paul II, a high point in our lives. But I like
Catholic faith. I’m not sure they’re quite Frances a lot. He’s a straight shooter.
tuned in to the entire religious thing. I know
His latest comments about Catholics and
for a fact they’d rather be on a playground birth control are right on the mark. “Some
than in religious training. Perhaps some of believe, excuse the expression, to be good
it will rub off on them.
Catholics one must be like rabbits,” obAva, the youngest, was explaining to me served Pope Francis.
that the Priest had told her class that “You
That was a very Francis-like way of
should be raised in a Christian home. “I re- saying that to be a model Catholic one
ally like living where I live now,” she ex- doesn’t necessarily need to have 12 chilplained.
dren. About time somebody had the guts
There are many rites in the Catholic faith, to say that.
one of which is “guilt.” Catholic guilt is the
He went on to say the ideal number of
best known of our rituals. Whether it’s re- children to have is three. I guess I get a
membering whether you ate meat on Fri- passing grade on the Francis rule, because
day when you weren’t supposed to or if you my bride and I had three terrific sons.
got married on a golf course (instead of a
Michael Aun is a syndicated columnist
Church as my wife and I did), guilt comes and writes a weekly column for this newsin all shapes and sizes.
paper. To contact Michael Aun, email him
Midnight Mass is another of our Catho- at [email protected].
COMMENTARIES
Editors note: The views expressed are entirely those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Las Vegas Tribune.
What if Metro administrators wore body cameras?
By Norman Jahn
Last week battery charges were
filed against a Metro officer because of a body camera video
which captured his conduct. (http:/
/m.lvsun.com/news/2015/mar/20/
camera-toting-officers-rare-punishment-brings-las-/)
Officer Richard Scavone confronted a suspected prostitute and
used force during his pedestrian
stop. His first mistake was being
proactive with a prostitute.
LVMPD has discouraged anyone
on patrol from being proactive with
regard to the totally out of control
level of prostitution and prostitution crime. As a former Metro lieutenant (4 years) and Metro sergeant
(8 years) I became the ‘posterchild’ for eliminating an ‘impediment’ to the Metro Vice ENTERPRISE. It is my opinion that they
have been corrupt for many years.
I often wonder who they were protecting over at the Desert Tides
Apartments.
Experts and ‘academics’
weighed in with their opinions and
police leaders pontificated, but we
really don’t know if things will
improve when every interaction is
recorded. What if a police department like Metro wants to eventually ‘sell’ the video for TV shows
like COPS? Maybe this will actually replace COPS because there
will be no staging or arranging, no
waivers to be signed, and no ‘pro-
Mace
NORMAN JAHN
duction’ for TV appeal. If citizens
could ‘tune in’ to police video (instead of a police scanner), COPS
could be put out of business after a
very long and successful run. And
just for the record, I don’t have a
problem with COPS because it has
been a tremendous tool that has
educated and informed American
citizens about many aspects of policing — primarily the patrol function. Langley Productions is a private, for-profit outfit and they have
been able to get officers to show
their ‘true’ colors and to ‘act-up’
(everyone knows “Hollywood” TJ).
Video actually protects officers
who follow the rules. Video can improve public trust of the police.
Body camera video can also be used
to train officers and educate citizens. Unfortunately, I heard from
of contempt was due to Moore, and that due to the
form of the notice simply referring back to the first
hearing identifying only Kattler, Moore did not receive such notice. The 5th Circuit also found that the
District Court abused its discretion in issuing a contempt order as to the thumb drive because Moore had
been misled by his own client about the existence of
the drive, thereby creating an inability to comply with
the court’s order, and Moore had taken immediate remedial measures to rectify the misstatement.
The 5th Circuit also found that Moore’s previous
good-faith claim of attorney-client privilege could
serve as a valid defense to the finding of contempt as
to the forensic image of the iPad. Finally, the 5th Circuit excused Moore from contempt as to production
of the iPad device itself to ambiguity in previous orders about its production. The 5th Circuit found that
the lack of production was excusable given the ambiguity and that the assertion of privilege would protect
the device itself and compelling production would
require Moore to violate the attorney-client privilege.
This attorney did nothing wrong. He asserted an
attorney-client privilege. He also made certain representations to the court regarding the non-existence of
a thumb drive based on information provided by his
client. After the hearing, Kattler informed Moore that
the thumb drive did exist, which prompted Moore to
Metro officers that they aren’t getting feedback on critical incidents.
For example, what do officers know
about the barricaded Air Force sergeant a few weeks ago? What do
they know about the shooting of
Saul Villegas at the Excalibur almost two years ago? What can be
learned about off-duty incidents?
How about the shooting of Sharmel
Edwards shortly after Stanley
Gibson was shot while barricaded
in a vehicle?
For a very long time, members
of the public accepted whatever
Metro and the D.A. told them... but
the police officers simply must
learn from successes and failures.
Every member of the NYPD was
probably forced to watch the video
of the incident with Eric Garner that
ended in his death. They certainly
shouldn’t have to watch it on the
news — they should review it and
critique it AT WORK!
I couldn’t help but wonder what
would happen if police administrators wore body cameras to capture
their daily interactions? Officer
Scavone volunteered for the pilot
program; can Metro get any command-level volunteers?
If Bill Young or Doug Gillespie
had worn a camera, what would we
have learned in the last 12 years?
One quote from the LV Sun story,
“Heads of police across the country are embracing the cameras as
‘an olive branch’ to communities,
consult with a professional responsibility expert and
withdraw from representing Kattler within the week.
Kattler soon produced a declaration describing the existence of the thumb drive.
This attorney acted appropriately considering his
duty to his client and his duty as an officer of the court
Not to provide untrue information to the court itself. In
fact, he consulted with a professional responsibility
expert (I assume to discuss actions which would not
prejudice the client and not compromise the attorneyclient privilege to the extent possible considering the
circumstances). I believe he did everything right and
then withdrew within the week.
It is a fact of life that clients lie to their attorneys.
That is why whenever I represent anything to the court
that I do not know for a fact know is true, I always say,
“It is my understanding that A, B and C happened.” So
in reality, if A, B, and C did not happen, but X, Y, and
Z did, I did not misrepresent anything to the court. I
did not vouch for the veracity of the information I provided. I also informed the court that these representations were provided by my client. I don’t have a crystal
ball and I ceratinly don’t represent that I do to the court.
Mace J. Yampolsky is a Board Certified Criminal
Law Specialist, 625 South Sixth St., Las Vegas, NV
89101; He can be reached at: Phone 702-385-9777 or
fax 702-385-300. His website is located at:
www.macelaw.com.
and show them they have nothing
to hide.” Sure, the ‘heads’ say their
officers should have nothing to
hide, but what do administrators do
on the job?
I wish I was wearing a body
camera on 6/30/11. It would have
shown that I drove over I-15 and
pulled up next to Officer Virginia
Griffin. I griped about the police
department because a good friend
had just been denied the opportunity to continue in the lieutenant
promotional process. He wasn’t
drinking their Kool-Aid and didn’t
make it past the Management (AKA
Discrimination) Review. That video
would have shown that I was not
out of my area “conducting followup investigation.”
I also wish I had a body camera
on 7/5/11 to capture Captain Todd
Fasulo violating the police officer’s
bill of rights (POBR) by conducting a week-long investigation and
then calling me in to interrogate me
(about crossing the street) without
proper notice and representation.
Fasulo claimed that I had made a
‘spontaneous utterance’ about never
leaving my area. Actually, I wish
that Captain Fasulo was wearing
a body camera that entire week... it
would have been really revealing if
his off-duty activity was also recorded (phone calls and emails) to
capture evidence of their conspiracy.
Fasulo ended up saying I denied
ever leaving my area on 6/30/11,
when the reality of the matter was
that for nearly two hours I denied
leaving my area to conduct any follow-up investigation. This would
have violated the ‘special’ rule that
they had created for me. I asked for
a transfer. I had accused Fasulo of
targeting me and carrying out the
‘hit’ that had been ordered on me. I
had asked to take time off due to
stress until I could be transferred.
Lt. Walters followed me to my
locker as I ripped off my body armor out of frustration after nearly
three years of harassment. He told
me Fasulo was not trying to fire me.
Walters later testified under oath
that Fasulo told him to IGNORE the
half-dozen written requests for
clarification of their ‘rule’ that I had
sent to Walters before crossing the
street.
On 7/6/11, I was charged with
being untruthful to Captain Fasulo.
I was also sold-out by the Police
Managers and Supervisors Association. I wish Lt. John Faulis and Sgt.
Noah Grimm were wearing body
cameras that day too!
Think about this. What would
we know about the collusion involving the police contract if
Gillespie was ‘BCW’ (Body-Camera-Wearing)? What would we
know about Homeland Security
money and the Harris Desert-Sky
contract? What would we know
about the DOJ coming to review
Metro after the RJ’s Deadly Force
series? What would we know about
why Jesus Arevalo was fired or how
decisions were made in other high
profile incidents? What would I
now know about why my career
needed to end on 11/17/11? I support BCW at all levels of the
LVMPD — do you?
*****
Norm Jahn is a former LVMPD
lieutenant, who has also served as
a police chief in Shawano, Wisconsin, and has nearly 25 years of police experience. Jahn now contributes his opinions and ideas to help
improve policing in general, and in
Las Vegas in particular, through his
weekly column in the Las Vegas
Tribune.
Web of Lies
By Jerry Schafer
The time has come when we should think about the distasteful comments continually made about the President of the USA, comments
that fly across the world via the Internet and comments that demean
not only our president, but at the same time, all Americans who are
the ones who voted this man into the office he now holds.
Stop a moment and realize the harm these negative comments are
doing, and at the same time, resign yourselves to the fact that our
president has almost two more years in office. Keep writing negative
comments, keep putting out negativity around the world and those
comments will add up to bringing us nothing but evil tidings and bad
wishes all over the world.
Our country was founded on a government of the people, by the
people and for the people... The fact of the matter is, those comments
have become more or less wishful thinking because of the way so
many Americans have placed themselves in the position of judge and
jury through the analogies they make as a result of listening to the
yellow news being written and broadcast every day.
The fact of the matter is, none of us outside of the circle that encompasses Government Insiders (for lack of a better term) really know
what’s going on throughout the world when it comes to the social and
economic and political situation presently existing.
It seems to me that the responsibility of all Americans is to put
themselves into a position that will allow us to protect our loved ones
in case of an unexpected event that could cause the loss of life, liberty
or the pursuit of happiness.
If you believe that we cannot depend on our Government for the
job it has done since since our Founding Fathers (who were mostly
alcoholics and drug addicts) wrote the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, then you must decide what you as individuals
want to do about it.
Thinking about that, there really isn’t too much you can do, is there?
Citizens of the USA are not individually in a position to make any
changes in anything other than what changes they can make (as indicated above) to protect their individual well-being.
We are however in a position through the use of our computers to
continue to make and forward the myriad of derogatory comments
made about our President that go all over the world and in the most
innocuous way, have the power of coming back to bite us in the butt
(so to speak) in ways we cannot imagine.
The USA is today a world power that cannot be defeated on its
shores even if every army in the world massed together to invade us,
we have too many guns, too many men and women who would fight
to the death (just as the Israelis are doing) to protect their homes.
Unfortunately, however, while we cannot be defeated from an outside source, we can be defeated from within (the same way every
great empire from the beginning of time has done); they were all defeated from within.
The continuous flooding of negative comments about not only our
President, but about other officials and events that take place in our
country and abroad, does incredible damage to our nation and its
people.
In the most unsuspecting way, this kind of behavior is causing our
nation to be committing suicide without realizing it.
Stop and think about it. How many times have you forwarded negative comments that have been forwarded to you about our President?
Have you ever stopped to wonder where many of these negative
comments originated? Or who originated them? I don’t think so! But
I’ll bet you are guilty of forwarding these types of comments to your
friends for one reason or another.
In a way, this kind of behavior has become sort of the thing to do.
When you receive a cartoon, or a negative comment about our President or some other political official, put forth by someone who you
believe is in the know, you are guilty of unwittingly causing great
harm to our nation.
Retired generals, retired police officials, so-called news media analysts together with famous and not so famous news broadcasters, all
share their individual commentaries (beliefs) with us and for one reason or other, much of the time, we tend to believe what they say.
It doesn’t matter what your political affiliation is, or what your
individual thought process may be when it comes to putting forth negativity in the form of written words or pictures over the Internet; doing
this is harmful beyond words in ways we cannot imagine.
I’m not suggesting that we hide our heads in the sand like an ostrich; if you have a gripe write to your Senator or Congressman or
even the President... let them know your feelings, but don’t forward
things that have been sent to you that originated in the great unknown
allowing people around the world to change it, and many times use it
against us by sending it back through their sources and then
unsuspectingly we forward it once again.
[email protected]
Chuck Muth
Thursday afternoon.
But instead of legislative Republicans declaring it dead on arrival,
Nevada’s #2 liberal blogger-witha-taxpayer-subsidized-TV-show,
Jon Ralston, reports that a GOP alternative will be presented in the
Republican-controlled state Assembly next Monday.
“Assembly Republicans have
crafted a tax plan that is a hybrid of
the business license fee component
used by the governor and an expansion of the payroll tax plan sought
by some business types, sources
confirm. The plan is expected to
drop Monday, the deadline for committee bill introductions.”
Please ignore the fact that Mr.
Ralston apparently doesn’t know
how to spell “license” or “governor.” The outrageous thing is that
the Assembly GOP’s alternative
plan “fully funds the governor’s
budget.”
In other words, Nevada’s Republican governor is proposing a
billion dollar tax hike — with no
spending cuts in the budget — and
the Republican majority in the state
Senate is prepared to say “Amen!”
while the Republican majority in
the Assembly is prepared to say
“Yes!” to a Billion Dollar Tax Hike,
just not the same billion dollars in
taxes that the governor wants to
hike.
Meanwhile, it’s Democrats in
the Legislature who are proposing
to kill the asinine Modified Business Tax that taxes businesses for
hiring employees.
Is this some kind of sick joke?
And let’s start being honest
about this tax hike, shall we?
Almost half of SandRINOval’s
tax hike will come from a new gross
receipts tax that he’s calling a
“Business License Fee.”
Which according to some Republicans isn’t really a tax hike because they’re calling it a “fee” and
Maramis
you can avoid the fee simply by,
you know, not opening a business.
Yeah, that’s a GREAT economic
development plan, huh?
Anyway, I had lunch with a
friend today and let him know that
his current annual business license
fee of $200 would jump to over
$11,000. But he wasn’t worried and
had no objection.
He said he’s just going to pass
the expense on to consumers!
And believe you me, he ain’t the
only one.
The fact of the matter is, businesses aren’t going to pay these
higher taxes... er, excuse me... fees.
They’re gonna pass them on to
you and me in the form of higher
prices.
Or close up shop and put a lot of
you out of work.
Our Republican-in-name-only
governor is screwing YOU.
Republicans in the state Senate
are screwing YOU.
Republicans in the state Assembly are screwing YOU.
Are you tired of constantly being screwed yet?
This is why it’s not enough to
just elect more Republicans.
We need to elect BETTER ones,
as well.
In the meantime, break out the
pitchforks and light the torches!
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“If they approve the new business tax, I’m closing my doors and
letting my five employees go. With
all the employee taxes, insurances,
my 300 percent increase in health
ins premium, EPA, State Fire Marshal, DMV, etc., etc., and chiseling
insurance companies, we are tapped
out. What is he [Sandoval] thinking?” — Deb Bonetti, Last Chance
Auto Body, Elko
Chuck Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, a non-profit public
policy grassroots advocacy organization. He may be reached by email
at [email protected].
such calls after 6 p.m. so we could have a family dinner like a normal family, as she would say.) His dedication to his customers —
while I admired it — was also THE sore spot in our family life, putting all of us at the bottom of the list of things to do. We even had to
share our family dinner table with TV sets that he was working on —
and we dared not move any of his “work” to accommodate our dinner or we’d hear about it in no uncertain terms — and that theme was
carried out throughout our home, until he built an addition onto the
house to accommodate most of his TV stuff.
Regarding my aunt, she had experienced a great sorrow in her life
that she never actually got over, and it caused her to turn to the bottle
for consolation. When she drank, she would become rather nastysounding and mean-spirited. She stirred up a lot of unhappy situations in our household by the things she both said and did while in
that condition, coupled with the things others said in response to her
at that time. I tried not to notice, but how could I not? I felt very sorry
for her having such an extremely unhappy life because she could not
move on after she lost her baby. And not having anyone with whom
to share her life, in any kind of loving way, added to her bitterness
and unhappiness. After her divorce, she lived the rest of her life in
the household with my grandparents, while they were alive, and that
household was not ever a happy or peaceful place. EVER.
So now I have just heard a very personal conversation between
my father and his sister, a conversation that no one would ever have
heard if it were not recorded for “just in case.” Next week I will
share what I learned from that conversation. There is always more to
learn about one’s relatives, especially from their own voices, from
the past.
*****
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].
ENTERTAINMENT
British Comedian Lenny Windsor
Members of the “Jersey Boys” (Paris) cast.
Academy Awards Red Carpet Interviews:
Cast of “Jersey Boys” and British Comedian Lenny Windsor
By Sandy Zimmerman
Las Vegas Tribune
Photos of the “Jersey Boys”
and Lenny Windsor
by Sandy Zimmerman,
the others by the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
I meet such exciting people during my interviews along the red
carpet.
Members of the cast of the “Jersey Boys” show (Paris) discussed
the Academy Awards. The men can
feel the emotions of waiting to see
the winners as the “Jersey Boys”
won their own awards.
John Lloyd Young explained,
“Jersey Boys” has won awards
since our opening in 2008 and we
are still going strong as the longest
running Broadway musical in Las
Vegas history.”
Why has the show been such a
success? He answered, “It is a mu-
sical for people that are not familiar with Broadway musicals. “Jersey Boys” spans so many different
audiences. You can be a person who
loves musicals and appreciates it for
the Broadway part of it. there is
something for everybody.
My favorite film is “Birdman”
it will have people talking for years.
I’m a fan of Julianne Moore and
think her work is beautiful.”
My next celebrity interview,
Comedian Lenny Windsor, known
in Las Vegas and London, Lenny
offers humor with a British touch.
He writes for the Benny Hill show.
Lenny has not seen any movies,
because of his trips from Las Vegas to London for engagements on
stage and TV. He hopes the airlines
will play some of the Academy
Award winning films on his flights.
For the sixth year, Variety the
Children’s Charity hosted “Variety
Academy Award nominated supporting actress
Reese Witherspoon in “Wild.”
Zimmerman is a syndicated columnist featuring Show and Dining reviews, travel, health, luxury and
more. Sandy is talk show host of the
Las Vegas Today Show programs
Salutes Hollywood,” the best Oscar viewing party in Las Vegas and
I think in the United States.
The public is invited to the festivities for this great cause. It is a
chance to meet celebrities, walk the
red carpet and join the Academy
Award’s viewing party in the Penthouse Suite with their buffet catered
by the Palm Hotel’s famous Alize
restaurant at the top of the Palm
Hotel.
Las Vegas is affiliated with the
Academy Awards in Hollywood,
we have a red carpet Las Vegasstyle.
The Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences is building the
world’s leading movie museum in
the heart of Los Angeles. Located
in the historic Wilshire May Company building on the campus of the
Los Angeles County Museum of
Art, the six stories Academy Museum was green lighted by the
Academy’s Board of Governors in
October 2012 (See artist rendering
bottom of page).
VARIETY
Variety — The Children’s Charity participates by raising funds at
the Academy Awards. Variety —
The Children’s Charity is an enthusiastic group of business leaders
who donate their time, resources
and energy to positively impact the
lives of children in their own communities and around the world.
For information about Variety —
The Children’s Charity events during the year, contact Variety of
Southern Nevada, at 3401 Sirius
Ave., Suite 1, Las Vegas. Tel
elephone 702-383-8466; Email:
[email protected]; Website:
http://onalv.org/
Award
winning
Sandy
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is building the world’s leading movie museum.
and Discover the Ultimate Vacation
travel specials. If you want to suggest topics for articles or to ask
questions about Sandy’s articles,
call 702-731-6491.
“Jay & The Americans” and “The
Vogues” at Eastside Cannery
This Week
in Las Vegas
By Mike Kermani
*****
Jay & The Americans
By Mike Kermani
For more information, please visit:
Las Vegas Tribune
www.MorganHeritageMusic.com.
Groups who led charts with
Undoubtedly one of contempo“This Magic Moment” and “You’re rary reggae’s most powerful forces
The One” Come to Eastside Events on the global stage, the sensational
Center on April 11th.
roots reggae quintet, which comTwo classic American groups prises siblings Peetah Morgan (vofrom the 1960s, Jay & The Ameri- cals), Una Morgan (keyboard/vocans and The Vogues, are set to per- cals), Gramps Morgan (keyboard/
form at the Eastside Events Center vocals), Lukes Morgan (rhythm
inside Eastside Cannery Casino & guitar) and Mr. Mojo Morgan (perHotel at 5255 Boulder Highway, cussion/vocals) has embraced the
Las Vegas, Nev. on Saturday, April challenges that come with empow11, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.
erment of this nature.
Jay & The Americans, one of the
Guided by sheer acumen and a
greatest rock n’ roll groups of the passionate desire to make their al’60s and ’70s will perform some of ready rich musical legacy even
their 12 Top 10 hit songs such as: more impactful, Morgan Heritage,
“This Magic Moment,’’ “She after much deliberation and conCried,” “Only In America,’’ “Cara templation, triumphantly delivers
Mia,’’ and “Come A Little Bit their latest album exclusively on
Closer.’’ The group features three their very own label CTBC (Cool
original members Sandy Deanne, To Be Conscious) Music Group.
Howie Kane, and Marty Sanders,
Strictly Roots, which is will be
along with Jay Reinecke and the released on Tuesday, April 21st, feaUSA Band.
tures a wide variety of guest perOriginally formed in 1965, The formers including platinum selling
Vogues gained fame with their rock pop/dancehall phenomenon,
and roll and traditional pop music, Shaggy; American reggae and R&B
with blue-eyed soul hit songs in- vocalist, J Boog; third generation
cluding; “Five O’clock World,” ambassadors from the Morgan and
“You’re The One,” “Earth Angel,” Marley families, Jemere Morgan
“Turn Around Look At Me,” and and Jo Mersa Marley; reggae sen“My Special Angel.” The Vogues’ sation, Chronixx; rock, word and
current lineup includes Bill reggae band, Rebelution; and
Burkette (original lead singer), Troy Bumble Bee from the American
Elich and Royce Taylor.
Grammy-nominated pop reggae
Tickets can be purchased online band, SOJA.
at www.ticketmaster.com or by callAmong the heavyweight co-proing the Eastside Cannery box office ducers with Morgan Heritage on
at (702) 856-5470.
Strictly Roots are Don Chandler and
*****
BBC One/BBC 1Xtra’s Seani B,
THE ROYAL FAMILY
Shane C. Brown of Juke Boxx ProOF REGGAE, MORGAN
ductions, multiple Grammy nomiHERITAGE AT
nee, Jason “J-Vibe” Farmer; French
BROOKLYN BOWL
reggae/dancehall production duo
The Royal Family of Reggae Matthieu Bost and Jérémie “Bim”
have announced a tour in support Dessus; guitarist Andrew “Simmo”
of the upcoming album, Strictly Simpson and DJ Fras. In addition,
Roots, including a performance at multi-faceted studio and touring
Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas, NV drummer, Gil Sharone, has contribon Monday, April 27th.
uted to the brilliant instrumentation
The album will be released digi- for which Morgan Heritage is
tally on April 20th, 2015 and physi- known. Gil’s DVD, Wicked Beats,
cally April 21st, 2015 and available won the Drummie award in Drum
for digital purchase on March 10th, Magazine for “DVD Of The Year”
2015.
2011.
The band, which has established
Regarding the upcoming album,
themselves as the premiere live Peetah Morgan states,”We know
group on the reggae circuit, will be what our fans want; we know exkicking off the tour on April 8th in actly where we want to take them
Washington D.C. and wrapping up and we know precisely how to get
in Las Vegas, NV on April 27th. The them there.”
tour also features third generation
Throughout 2015, Morgan Heriambassador from the Morgan fam- tage will be touring in support of
ily, Jemere Morgan, as a special Strictly Roots, which will be reguest. Tickets are currently on sale. leased on April 21st, 2015.
Morgan Heritage
‘DENMARK HAS TALENT’
FINALIST PETER
NØRGAARD SPECIAL
GUEST IN TERRY FATOR
‘Danmark Har Talent’ (Denmark
Has Talent) finalist Peter Nørgaard
will realize his dream of performing on a Las Vegas stage when he
heads to America to guest star for
two nights only in Terry Fator: The
VOICE of Entertainment. On
Wednesday, April 8 and Thursday,
April 9, 2015, fans can see
Nørgaard’s performance during
Fator’s show. Show time is 7:30
p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the
Terry Fator Theatre box office, by
phone at 702-792-7777 or 800-9639634, or online at mirage.com.
For more information, visit
terryfator.com.
“When I saw Peter’s performance of Elvis, I thought ‘this kid
just has to come perform with me
in Vegas!” said Fator. “He has perfected the craft of ventriloquism
and I’m happy to call him a colleague.”
Nørgaard’s Elvis performance:
http://common.tv2.dk/mpx/
p l a y e r . p h p / g u i d anodpeter210215.html.
Peter Farver Nørgaard is a Danish singer, actor, dancer and puppeteer having performed and
worked in multiple productions including the Reumert-nominated
Avenue Q, The Little Mermaid and
Sesame Street.
*****
QUARTET FOUR
FRESHMEN AT THE
SUNCOAST SHOWROOM
APRIL 4-5
Carrying on a 67 year legacy, the
Four Freshmen will perform their
pop and jazz harmonies at the
Suncoast Showroom April 4 and 5.
The Four Freshmen
The Four Freshmen group tradition began in 1948, established by
four students at Butler University
in Indianapolis, Ind. Hal Kratzsch,
brothers Ross and Don Barbour,
and their cousin Bob Flanigan created a brand new vocal sound.
Working without written music and
choosing notes by ear, they spread
their jazz voicing over a wider
range than other groups, while imitating the phrasing and aggressive
feel of a big band brass section.
When band leader, Stan Kenton
heard the group at the Esquire
Lounge in Dayton, Ohio, he immediately recognized their potential.
At his urging, Capitol Records
signed the Four Freshmen in 1950,
initiating a string of hits with “It’s
A Blue World.” The sound track of
the movie “Lucy Gallant” introduced the hits “How Can I Tell Her”
and “Day By Day.” The group has
continued to evolve with new members over the years.
To date, the Freshmen Four have
produced more than 70 singles and
albums, won numerous DownBeat
and JazzTimes readers’ polls, and
have been honored with the
Satchmo Award for unique and enduring contribution to the living
history of jazz.
Bob Flanigan retired from performing in 1992, but he continues
as the group’s mentor and personal
manager. Throughout the group’s
tenure, there have been 22 different line-ups. The current group consists of Brian Eichenberger, Curtis
Calderon, Stein Malvey and Bob
Ferreira.
Showtime each evening is 7:30
p.m. Tickets can be purchased at
any Boyd Gaming box office by
calling 702-284-7777, or by visiting www.suncoastcasino.com.
*****
THE CERNY BROTHERS
PERFORMING AT BUNKHOUSE SALOON
The Cerny Brothers are set to
release their highly anticipated fulllength album, Sleeping Giant, on
May 12th, 2015 via Krian Music
Group! The album was recorded at
legendary Bear Creek Studios in
Seattle with producers Jerry
Streeter and Ryan Hadlock, who are
known for their work with Brandi
Carlile and The Lumineers. This
album signifies a new direction for
the band, as the music has turned
from an acoustic, folk element to a
more electric, American rock
sound.
*****
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
MJ LIVE moves to Stratosphere
By Jerry Fink
Las Vegas Tribune
MJ LIVE, the world’s most successful Michael Jackson tribute
show, will open at its new home in
the Stratosphere Theater on Monday, March 30, says co-producers
Dick Feeney, Darin Feinstein and
Carlos Reynoso. Shows will be performed seven nights a week at 7
p.m.
Tickets, priced are available
online at www.lvticketsnow.com,
www.StratosphereHotel.com, visit
the Stratosphere Ticket Center, or
call 702.380.7777.
MJ LIVE is the number one
Michael Jackson tribute show in the
world showcasing the energy, excitement, spectacle and pure joy of
this legendary superstar and his
music.
*****
PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS
TO HOST WORLD’S FIRST
PENIS JOB FAIR
Featuring PUPPETEER AUDITIONS! (Applicants must bring
own equipment)
PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS,
the internationally acclaimed phenomenon that Vanity Fair called
“Dementedly Good Fun!” has announced the World’s First Penis Job
Fair. Creator Simon Morley will be
holding auditions for new penis
puppeteers, and seeking penis support staff, in Las Vegas on Tuesday,
March 31 at PUPPETRY OF THE
PENIS’ theatre, THE JEWELBOX,
on the corner of Industrial Road and
Desert Inn (behind Fashion Show
Mall). Aspiring puppeteers may
also attend the Master Class on the
same day.
“We’re looking for the full package,” said Simon Morley, PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS Creator
and Producer. “No puppeteering
skills are required, but all applicants
must have a firm grasp of their
anatomy, must have flexible schedules and must bring their own
equipment.”
PENIS JOB FAIR DETAILS —
Tuesday, March 31 from noon to 3
p.m.
Job Category #1
PENIS PUPPETEERS
12:30 p.m. Master Class — Penis Master Simon Morley teaches
the top penis installations
1:30 p.m. Individual auditions
commence
Penis puppeteers should come to
the auditions with a flexible working attitude and be ready to demonstrate their own genital installations. PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS
is an equal opportunity employer
and will audition both circumcised
and uncircumcised genital origami
hopefuls. Successful applicants
may perform in Las Vegas or join a
worldwide tour as stars of PUPPETRY later this year.
The Master Class will include
instructions on such classic installations as the “Eiffel Tower,” the
“Hamburger,” the “Loch Ness
Monster,” the “Windsurfer” and the
“Wristwatch.” Master Class participants are guaranteed an audition
time. All prospective puppeteers
will be emailed detailed instructions for training prior to the audition.
Prospective Penis Puppeteers
email [email protected] for
an information kit and to register.
Job Category #2
STAGE MANAGEMENT TEAM
Must have a background in theatre or rock ‘n roll stage production. Expertise in sound, lighting
and video projection is a must. A
strong stomach and a willingness
to stare at 30-foot-high penises for
20 hours per week are required.
Prospective stage management
candidates should arrive at PUPPETRY Job Fair by noon on Tuesday March 31. For enquiries, stage
management candidates should
email [email protected].
Job Category #3
FRONT OF HOUSE TEAM,
including ushers
Applicants must be kind and
understanding. You will be ushering people into what may be the
most confronting show they will
ever experience. Side effects may
include: fits of laughter, hyperventilation and uncontrollable weeping. A general knowledge of first
aid and psychotherapy is preferred
but not essential.
Prospective front of house candidates should arrive at PUPPETRY Job Fair by noon on Tuesday March 31. For enquiries, front
of house candidates should email
[email protected].
Job Category #4
STREET TEAMS
Street team applicants must have
a complete lack of shame and exhibit wonderful friendliness.
Prospective street team candidates should arrive at PUPPETRY
Job Fair by noon on Tuesday March
31. For enquiries, street team candidates
should
email
[email protected].
WHEN: Tuesday, March 31
from noon to 3 p.m.
WHERE: The Jewelbox, corner
of Industrial Road and Desert Inn
(behind Fashion Show Mall, adjacent to Erotic Heritage Museum)
ENQUIRIES & AUDITION
KITS: [email protected]
PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS
will be performed Tuesday through
Sunday inside The Jewel Box, adjacent to the Erotic Heritage Museum located at 3275 South Industrial Road, beginning Tuesday,
April 14. Tickets can be purchased
at www.puppetryofthepenis.com.
Find PUPPERY OF THE PENIS on
Facebook and follow on Twitter
and Instagram.
PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS is
a non-sexual adult show.
*****
TERRY FATOR: THE VOICE
OF ENTERTAINMENT
LAUNCHES NEW
CHARACTER IN
CONJUNCTION WITH 6th
ANNIVERSARY AT THE
MIRAGE
In the newest version of Terry
Fator: The VOICE of Entertainment , the audience is introduced
to Fator’s newest cast member —
Rusty The Robot. Rusty is The
Mirage’s new prototype robot designed to do the jobs of all employees. While you may think he’s a big
fan of heavy metal, he’s actually
able to sing virtually any song in
any voice! From the Tin Man and
Elvis to Bruno Mars and Garth
Brooks, he has a voice to be reckoned with and an intellect second
to none.
Rusty joins the loveable cast of
characters including Winston the
Impersonating Turtle, Vikki “The
Cougar,” country legend Walter T.
Airdale, Duggie Scott Walker,
Julius, Emma Taylor, the world’s
greatest Elvis impersonator
Maynard Tompkins and Wrex the
Crash Test Dummy.
WHEN: Monday — Thursday,
select Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30
p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at the
phone at 702-792-7777 or 800-9639634 or online at mirage.com.
For more information, visit
terryfator.com.
*****
‘DENMARK HAS TALENT’
FINALIST PETER
NØRGAARD TO APPEAR
AS SPECIAL GUEST IN
TERRY FATOR: THE VOICE
OF ENTERTAINMENT
AT THE MIRAGE
‘Danmark Har Talent’ (Den-
mark Has Talent) finalist Peter
Nørgaard will realize his dream of
performing on a Las Vegas stage
when he heads to America to guest
star for two nights only in Terry
Fator: The VOICE of Entertainment. On Wednesday, April 8 and
Thursday, April 9, 2015, fans can
see Nørgaard’s performance during
Fator’s show. Show time is 7:30
p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at the
phone at 702-792-7777 or 800-9639634, or online at mirage.com. For
more
information,
visit
terryfator.com.
*****
MEXICAN SINGER/ACTRESS
LUPITA D’ALESSIO TO
PERFORM APRIL 3
The “Sleeping Lioness,” Lupita
D’Alessio, will perform at The
AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort
& Casino Friday, April 3 at 8 p.m.
on her Cuando Se Ama Como Tú
tour. Tickets for the show are on
sale now.
After an 18-year recording hiatus, D’Alessio has triumphantly returned with a Gold Record Award
in Mexico for her new album
Cuando Se Ama Como Tú .
D’Alessio will give her fans the
opportunity to enjoy her greatest
hits, such as “Ese Hombre,” “Ni
Loca,”
“La
Diferencia,”
“Mudanzas” and “Que Ganas De
No Verte Nunca Más,” among other
songs.
Tickets may be purchased online
at ticketmaster.com or in-person at
The AXIS box office at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
*****
TONY BENNETT/LADY
GAGA ANNOUNCE
CONCERTS AT THE AXIS
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
will perform at The AXIS at Planet
Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las
Vegas, Nev. Friday, April 10 and
Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets will go on sale Saturday,
March 7 at 10 a.m.
Bennett and Gaga return to Las
Vegas, where they initially opened
their Cheek To Cheek tour at two
sold out shows on Dec. 30 and 31,
2014, and became the hottest ticket
on the Strip and received critical acclaim.
Tickets for the Tony Bennett and
Lady Gaga performances at The
AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort
& Casino range will go on sale Saturday, March 7 at 10 a.m. at
ticketmaster.com, The AXIS box
office and charge by phone 1-800745-3000,
*****
CARLOS SANTANA ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL 2015
PERFORMANCES
House of Blues Las Vegas at
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
together with Carlos Santana announce September and November
2015 performance dates of An Intimate Evening with Santana:
Greatest Hits Live.
Tickets for the newly announced
performances will go on sale Friday, March 13 at 10 a.m. Tickets
for the May 2015 dates are currently on sale. All shows begin at 8
p.m.
2015 performance dates:
—May 20, 22-24, 27 and 29-31
—September 16, 18-20, 23 and
25-27 — just added!
—November 4, 6-8, 11 and 1315 — just added!
House of Blues Las Vegas at
Mandalay Bay has been home to
Santana’s live concert since 2012.
Tickets for An Intimate Evening
with Santana: Greatest Hits Live
are available by visiting House of
Blues.com/Santana,
MandalayBay.com or by calling
800-745-3000. For additional information, visit. A CITI presale begins
Wednesday, March 11 at 10 a.m.
The M life, House of Blues,
Ticketmaster and Live Nation
presale begins Thursday, March 12
at 10 a.m.
A portion of all tickets sold will
be donated to The Milagro Foun-
dation. Milagro (“Miracle”) is a
charitable foundation supporting
underrepresented and vulnerable
children and youth in the areas of
arts, education and health. The
Milagro Foundation was created in
1998 by Carlos Santana and his
family to benefit children worldwide.
*****
MOTORCYCLES & MUTTS
POKER RUN APRIL 11, 2015
PT’s Entertainment Group
(PTEG), operators of PT’s, Sierra
Gold and Sean Patrick’s taverns,
will host the Motorcycles & Mutts
Poker Run benefiting the Animal
Foundation on Sat., April 11 to not
only raise funds and awareness for
the foundation, but also encourage
shelter adoptions.
Registration for the Motorcycles
& Mutts Poker Run is open now for
$35 and a guest can ride along for
$10. Participants will enjoy food
and drink specials offered at each
stop, receive a commemorative pin
and bandana, a 50 percent discount
on pet adoptions, one raffle ticket
and entry into the official afterparty.
“We can’t forget our four-legged
friends in support of the Las Vegas
community,” said Steve Arcana,
COO, Golden Gaming, LLC. “We
invite everyone to join us for a great
day benefiting a great cause.”
Registration begins at 7 a.m. at
Sierra Gold (6515 S. Jones Blvd.,
just off the I-215). From there, riders will cruise out to the Pahrump
Nugget, take a scenic drive through
the Red Rock loop on to PT’s Gold
(3770 S. Hualapai Way at Twain
Ave.), then out to Sean Patrick’s
Pub & Grill (11930 Southern Highlands Pkwy.) before making their
final stop at PT’s Ranch (2430 E.
Pebble at Eastern Ave.) for a postrun after-party concert, cookout and
raffle drawing. Additionally, the
Animal Foundation will be on-site
hosting a pet adoption. The raffle
drawing is open to poker run participants as well as the public (tickets are $5 each or five for $20) and
includes such prizes as a two-night
getaway at the Pahrump Nugget, a
Motorcycles & Mutts-themed video
poker machine, Petsmart gift cards,
show tickets and much more.
*****
Jerry Fink is an entertainment
columnist for the Las Vegas Tribune
newspaper and writes a weekly column. To contact Jerry Fink, email
him at jfink@ lasvegastribune.com.
&
HEALTH LIFESTYLES
What is Twisted Farm Food?
By Sandy Zimmerman
Las Vegas Tribune
Photos by Sandy Zimmerman
I was invited to the opening of
the Hash House A Go Go Twisted
Farm Food and asked Jim Rees, the
owner, “What is Twisted Farm
Food?”
Jim explained, “Twisted Farm
Food is comfort food with a flair!
When you see the food you will
understand, the food goes right
along with the name. We serve big
portions of recognizable country
comfort food.
The founding chef of the concept
was from Indiana and grew up on
farm. These are the recipes his mom
cooked on the farm. He later attended culinary school in Boston
and moved to California so that is
how the farm food got twisted. Everything is twisted in this restaurant.”
When driving up to the restaurant, you are surprised to see a tractor. Inside the Hash House A Go Go
there are farm implements, pictures
on the walls, cattle hide booths and
bar stools. The restaurant is interesting and different.
As Jim says, “We call our atmosphere farm industrial sheik. There
is a lot of metal.”
The restaurant’s bar and dining
rooms were filled with guests as the
waiters served large platters of food.
Their “Twisted” Apple Smoked
Bacon, Mashed Potatoes and certified Angus Beef stuffed Burgers
were gigantic. All this in one
burger!
The Hash House Famous Flapjacks were filled with Snickers or
Fruit and topped with Whipped
Cream.
There was Sage fried chicken,
The chef is holding the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, 13-15 shrimp to a pound.
jumbo shrimp cocktail (13-15 to a
pound) and other tastings served
from their menu. What a feast!
These are not the usual dishes
you find in most restaurants.
The Farm Scrambles had a variety of fillings — salmon, chicken,
corned beef, meat loaf and more.
Choose from salads, sandwiches, big o’ chicken pot pie,
crispy hand hammered pork tenderloin and also a whole page of breakfast or brunch meals.
Open 7 am-10 pm every day.
Happy Hour specials: $3 bar, wine,
cocktails and $5 appetizers.
For information, call 702-8984646. This is the Hash House A Go
Go Twisted Farm food’s fifth restaurant, at 555 North Stephanie, at
Sunset, in Henderson. They also
have restaurants in the Rio AllSuites Hotel at 3700 West Flamingo
Road, in the Linq Hotel on the strip,
Plaza Hotel downtown and at 6800
West Sahara, at Rainbow.
Award-winning
Sandy
Zimmerman is a syndicated columnist/ talk show host featuring Show
and Dining reviews, travel, health,
spas, 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 want to be reviewed,
need information, have questions
about any of Sandy’s articles, call
702-731-6491.
SUGGESTIONS: Do you have a
favorite restaurant in Las Vegas or
around the world? Please let us
know and you may win free show
tickets or other prizes. Send your
name, the name of the restaurant,
the reasons for your choice and
your telephone number. The information is in the paragraph above.
Comedian George Wallace attended the party.
Jim Rees, owner of the Hash House A Go Go Twisted Farm Food
“Twisted” apple smoked bacon, mashed potatoes and certified Angus beef stuffed burger.
Hash House famous flapjacks filled with Snickers or fruit and topped with whipped cream.
What You
Need To
Know
By Dr Nina Radcliff
“Recipes” to get older
kids into the habit of
eating healthy
By Nina Radcliff, MD
Climate change, peace in the Middle East, and the national debt can
seem like a piece of cake in comparison to getting our kids to eat healthy.
Even Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright might have been challenged to find some new tricks of the trade when it came to negotiating
with their own children about their eating habits. So what does a parent
who has not been trained in the art of difficult diplomacy do? My daughter is only three years old. In the ranks of dedicated parents wanting the
best for our children, I want to help her hone her palate to eat healthy.
Numerous studies have shown that the development of poor eating
habits can begin as early as 12-24 months of age. Diets that are sparse in
whole grains, fresh fruit, and vegetables, or that consist of frequent highcalorie between-meal snacks, and high amounts of saturated fat can all
affect eating habits and weight down the road.
Not to fret if you missed that boat; you can still catch the later one to
get to your destination.
At the grocery store:
—Make it a family outing.
—Let them decide. Provide an option between two fruits or two vegetables. At the table, if they refuse to eat it, remind them that they chose
it.
—Also, before you leave you can ask them to find a healthy recipe to
take along on your trip. It makes for good conversation beforehand, supports good research and it is fun to find the ingredients at the store (read
the labels) for a lively, interactive (and more often ‘yummy’) prep time at
home.
In the kitchen
—Fire the short order chef. Everyone gets the same meal.
—Revamp the menu. Get the kids to create the dinner menu, with
certain rules: the meal must incorporate the four food groups and be
healthy! Learning to read the labels is a valuable insight that will reward
the process for years to come.
—Enlist help. Have them help with washing, preparing, serving, and
naming the meal (e.g. “Bobby’s Garlic Chicken”). They will be more
likely to eat it if they (helped) made it and they “own it.”
At mealtime
—Strategize. Try new (healthy) foods first when kids are hungriest.
Don’t be defeated if they do not gobble it up. It typically takes several
tries before a child will enjoy, or even be willing to try, a certain food.
And give it a break by waiting a few days before introducing a rejected
food again.
—Unplug distractions. Television, tablets, smart phones, MP3 players... let’s face it, distractions are aplenty. Make dinner time an opportunity to talk to one another while enjoying what you are eating. Depending
on the age of your children table time may be a challenge. Try for 2-5
nights, but we know those teens have lots of late night extracurricular
activities so aim for at least one night a week (perhaps Sunday) at a minimum and as a rule.
Snack time
—Don’t go hungry. There is no reason to be so hungry you can eat a
horse. Take this time to offer healthy snacks such as carrots, peanut butter, nuts, low-fat yogurt, hummus, a boiled egg, or fruit.
—At school and extracurricular activities, volunteer to send sliced
oranges, applesauce, yogurt or bananas for the “snack” before the big
game or practice.
So grab your armor and get ready. The battle is a learning experience
and requires commitment on our part. One thing’s for sure: we lead by
example. Let’s snack healthy, eat well-balanced meals, and drink water
instead of sugary beverages. The laissez faire attitude of “qu’ils mangent
de la brioche,” or “let them eat cake” is not applicable to our battle to get
our kids to eat healthy. Their health is not something that we can afford to
surrender to without fighting the good fight.
*****
Dr. Nina Radcliff is dedicated to her profession, her patients and her
community, at large. She is passionate about sharing truths for healthy,
balanced living as well as wise preventive health measures. She completed medical school and residency training at UCLA and has served on
the medical faculty at The University of Pennsylvania. She is a Board
Certified Anesthesiologist and a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists where she serves on committees for Young Physicians and
Communications. Author of more than 200 textbook chapters, research
articles, medical opinions and reviews; she is often called upon by media
to speak on medical, fitness, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle topics impacting our lives, today.
SOCIAL SECURITY AWARENESS
Last-minute ways to improve your retirement finances
Here’s how to give your nest egg a big boost
in the years leading up to retirement.
By Emily Brandon
It’s difficult to make up for a lack
of savings once you are in your 50s
or 60s, but there are a few ways to
do it. Significantly downsizing your
home can give your nest egg a quick
and significant boost, and taking
steps to maximize Social Security
can improve your monthly cash
flow. Of course, you could always
work longer and shovel as much
money into retirement accounts as
you can. Here’s how to fix your retirement finances after age 50.
Start super-saving
If you didn’t save earlier in your
career, it’s a good idea to do some
serious saving in your 50s and 60s.
Workers age 50 and older can defer paying income tax on as much
as $24,000 in a 401(k) and $6,500
in an individual retirement account,
$7,000 more than younger workers
are eligible to contribute to these
retirement accounts. If you made a
commitment to max out both types
of retirement accounts each year
between ages 50 and 65, which
means saving $30,500 per year, and
earn 7 percent annual returns, you
will accumulate $625,728 after saving for 15 years. But saving that
much requires either a significant
income or some sacrifices in other
areas of your life. “It’s not ideal,
because $30,500 for a normal working family is a pretty big chunk of
money,” says Cathy Pareto, a certified financial planner and president
of Cathy Pareto and Associates in
Coral Gables, Florida. “You can do
it, but you have to be disciplined,
dedicated and willing, if you have
to, to cut expenses from your budget.”
Tap your home
The equity you have built up in
your home can be used to fund retirement if you are willing to move
into less-expensive housing or to a
more affordable area of the country. “People are selling their homes
and moving to lower-cost areas and
using the income to help finance
their retirement,” says Michael
Stoll, a professor of public policy
and urban planning at the University of California–Los Angeles.
This strategy works particularly
well if you live in a high-cost city,
such as New York, San Francisco
or Miami, and are willing to move
to a city where housing costs half
as much or less. “If you have not
saved enough money for retirement,
think about leaving the city that you
live in and moving to someplace
that is more affordable,” Pareto
says. “Take whatever equity you
may have built in your home, and
you can convert it into savings by
downsizing or moving entirely to a
new area with a cheaper cost of living.” If you aren’t willing to leave
your current city behind, you may
still be able to improve your finances by downsizing into a smaller
house or relocating to a less-expensive part of town.
Maximize Social Security
The age you sign up for Social
Security plays a big role in how
GENERAL
Question: Someone stole my Social Security number, and it’s being
used repeatedly. Does Social Security issue new Social Security numbers to victims of repeated identity
theft?
Answer: Identity theft is one of
the fastest growing crimes in
America, so you aren’t alone. If
you’ve done all you can to identify
and fix the problem, including contacting the Federal Trade Commission, but someone is still using your
number, Social Security may assign
you a new number. If you decide to
apply for a new number, you’ll need
to prove your identity, age, and U.S.
citizenship or immigration status.
You’ll also need to provide evidence you’re having ongoing problems because of the misuse of your
current Social Security number.
You can read more about identity
theft at www.socialsecurity.gov/
pubs.
Question: Now that my husband
and I have a large family, we’ve
hired a housekeeper that comes
once a week. Do we have to withhold Social Security taxes from our
housekeeper’s earnings?
Answer: It depends on how
much you’re paying the house-
keeper. If you pay a housekeeper or
(See Social Security, Page 20)
Social Security
Questions & Answers
Working longer and waiting to claim Social Security can help bolster your nest egg for retirement.
much your monthly payments will your retirement out,” Fisher says. work part time for a while,” Fisher
be. Payouts are reduced if you sign But you don’t necessarily need to says. “Position yourself for a slow
up before your full retirement age, stick with a full-time job you hate move into retirement.”
*****
which is typically 66 or 67, depend- to improve your finances. Even a
Emily Brandon is the senior ediing on your birth year. Monthly part-time or seasonal job can help
payments also increase for each if it allows you to cover some of tor for Retirement at U.S. News. You
additional year of delayed claiming your current bills and gives your can contact her on Twitter
up until age 70. “If you could avoid savings more time to grow. “You @aiming2retire, circle her on
signing up until full retirement age, might be able to do consulting work Google+ or email her at
you get a bigger benefit that is in- when you leave your employer or [email protected].
dexed for inflation,” says Thomas
Fisher, a certified financial planner
for Fisher Financial Strategies in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. “The
longer you can push it out until you
get to age 70, the more you gain.”
Consider working longer
Working a few extra years gives
you more time to save and shortens
the period of retirement you need
to pay for. “One of the simplest
ways to improve your prospects for
not running out of money in retirement is to try to find a way to push
Social Security
other household worker $1,900 or more in cash wages throughout the
year, you must deduct Social Security and Medicare taxes. This holds
true for a cleaning person, cook, gardener, babysitter, or anyone else
who provides services for you. In addition, you must report these
wages once a year. There are exceptions, for example, when you are
hiring a company or independent contractor and paying them a fee
for services instead of wages to an individual. You can learn more
about household workers and tax deductions by reading our publication, Household Workers, at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.
*****
RETIREMENT
Question: Although I stopped working a few years ago, I had additional seasonal earnings after my retirement. Will my monthly Social Security retirement benefit increase?
Answer: Possibly. And, you can get Social Security retirement or
survivors benefits and work at the same time. Each year, we review
the records for all working Social Security recipients to see if additional earnings may increase their monthly benefit amounts. If an
increase is due, we calculate a new benefit amount and pay the increase retroactive to January following the year of earnings. You can
learn more about how work affects your benefits by reading our publication, How Work Affects Your Benefits, at www.socialsecurity.gov/
pubs.
Question: I served in the military, and I’ll receive a military pension when I retire. Will that affect my Social Security benefits?
Answer: You can get both Social Security retirement benefits and
military retirement at the same time. Generally, we don’t reduce your
Social Security benefits because of your military benefits. When you’re
ready to apply for Social Security retirement benefits, go to
www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline. This is the fastest and easiest
way to apply. For your convenience, you can always save your progress
during your application and complete it later. And thank you for your
military service!
*****
DISABILITY
Question: I have been collecting disability benefits for a few years,
but I’m getting healthy enough to work again. Can I return to work
while getting Social Security disability benefits?
Answer: Yes, you can return to work while receiving Social Security disability benefits. We have special rules to help you get back to
work without lowering your initial benefits. You may be able to have
a trial work period for nine months to test whether you can work. If
you get disability benefits and your condition improves or you return
to work, you must report these changes to us. Call us at 1-800-7721213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or contact your local Social Security
office. You can find your local office by visiting
www.socialsecurity.gov/locator.
Question: My father collects disability benefits, but he is interested in trying working again. Is there a program that helps disabled
people find work while they’re collecting Social Security disability
benefits?
Answer: Social Security’s Ticket to Work program can help beneficiaries go to work, get a good job that may lead to a career, save
more money, and become financially independent. This program
doesn’t affect your disability benefits — you can keep collecting your
benefits while participating. Ticket to Work is a free and voluntary
program that gives beneficiaries real choices to help them create and
lead better lives. You can learn more about our Ticket to Work program at www.socialsecurity.gov/work or www.socialsecurity.gov/
work/home.html.
*****
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME
Question: My father receives Supplemental Security Income. He
recently moved, but he hasn’t reported his new address to Social Security yet. What’s the easiest way to do that?
Answer: You can check your address online by using your personal my Social Security account at www.socialsecurity.gov/
myaccount. It is very important that Social Security has your father’s
most up-to-date information, including any change in income, resources, or living arrangements. This will guarantee that he is getting
the benefit amount to which he is entitled. You can learn more about
the rights and responsibilities of Supplemental Security Income recipients at www.socialsecurity.gov/ssi.
Question: I am about to get married, and I currently receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Will getting married affect my payments?
Answer: Yes, getting married can change your SSI benefits, and
you need to report it to us. If you marry, your spouse’s income and
resources may change your SSI benefit. If you and your spouse both
get SSI, your benefit amount will change from an individual rate to a
couple’s rate. Although getting married won’t usually affect your
Social Security disability or retirement benefits, that is not the case if
you receive SSI payments. Learn more by reading our publication,
Supplemental Security Income, at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.
*****
MEDICARE
Question: I need proof that I receive Medicare benefits. Where
can I get a letter proving that?
Answer: (If you need proof that you get Social Security benefits,
Supplemental Security Income, or Medicare, get an instant benefit
verification letter online by using your personal my Social Security
account. If you don’t receive benefits, your letter will serve as proof
that you don’t receive benefits. If you recently applied for benefits,
the letter will make that clear as well. The information on your benefit verification letter will include information that applies to your
situation. You can set up your secure, personal my Social Security
account at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
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.
Let Social Security help jazz
up your retirement plan
By Keith Alexander
Social Security Operations
Supervisor in Las Vegas Nevada
April is Jazz Appreciation
Month, a perfect time to move your
feet and revel in the smooth beats
of one of America’s most beloved
musical genres.
Ella Fitzgerald, the “Queen of
Jazz,” known for her scatting style,
had a vocal range spanning three
octaves. Other great jazz icons include Dizzy Gillespie, Benny
Goodman, Louis Armstrong,
Herbie Hancock, and Wynton
Marsalis.
These jazz greats not only have
music in common, but they either
received, receive, or will be eligible
to receive Social Security retirement benefits. Wynton Marsalis, at
age 53, is approaching retirement.
Herbie Hancock, at age 74, is al-
ready old enough to receive full
Social Security retirement benefits.
A lot of planning and preparation
made these artists successful. If you
want to be successful in your retirement years, financial planning is
important for hitting all the high
notes.
You don’t have to scat like Ella,
or blow your horn like Wynton,
Dizzy, and Louis, to plan for retirement. If you’re making retirement
plans, you’ll want to visit Social
Security’s website to use our retirement planner located at
www.socialsecurity.gov/retire.
You’ll find detailed information
about your Social Security retirement and what you may want to
consider as you prepare for your
future.
Our Retirement Estimator at
www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator
will give you an instant, personalized estimate of your future benefits. You can plug in different retirement ages and scenarios to help
you make a decision.
If you’re ready to apply for retirement benefits, just go online at
w w w. s o c i a l s e c u r i t y. g o v /
applyonline. Creating a secure my
Social Security account at
www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount
is another way to fine tune your retirement. Your account will allow
you to verify your posted earnings
and get retirement estimates for
ages 62, 67, and 70. Opening a my
Social Security account is safe,
easy, and only takes a few minutes.
Louis Armstrong’s “What a
Wonderful World” may come to
mind as you visit our website at
www.socialsecurity.gov to jazz up
your retirement planning!
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.
There are many resources available to help parents and educators teach kids how to understand the issues
and become better stewards for the planet.
commitments necessary, while oth- Paris is a success,” concludes Henn.
Perhaps even more engaging for
ers, like Canada with its tar sands “The talks are just another stop those eight and older is Cool It!, a
extraction, are flaunting the inter- along the way to a 100 percent re- card game from the Union of Connational consensus and aggres- newable future.”
cerned Scientists (UCS). The game,
sively expanding fossil fuel devel*****
designed in collaboration with sciopment.
Dear EarthTalk: Do you have ence educators, requires players to
Given these political realities, any tips for explaining global collect “solution” cards in the catHenn thinks any deal struck at Paris warming and other complex envi- egories of energy, transportation
is unlikely to “save the climate” but ronmental problems to my kids? — and forests, while slowing oppocould nevertheless send a powerful Peter Buckley, Pittsburgh, PA
nents down by playing “problem”
signal to politicians, investors and
Kids today may be more eco- cards along the way. “The game
the public that the age of fossil fu- savvy than we were at their age, but enables teachers and parents to talk
els is coming to an end. “That complex topics like global warm- about global warming in a fun and
would be a useful development, ing may still mystify them. Luck- hopeful way,” reports UCS. “Kids,
something that could lead to major ily there are many resources avail- meanwhile, will learn that all of us
shifts in investment flows and de- able to help parents teach their kids make choices that determine
cision making at the national level,” how to understand the issues and whether the world warms a little or
he reports.
become better stewards for the a lot, and which of those choices
Henn believes that while the fos- planet.
reduce global warming emissions.”
sil fuel industry may still be “callA great place to start is the U.S. The game is available for purchase
ing the shots” here in the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency’s ($7.95) directly from the UCS
climate movement is making in- (EPA’s) “A Student’s Guide to Glo- website.
roads. He cites the fossil fuel divest- bal Climate Change” website. The
Younger kids curious about climent campaign and mobilizations site is divided into sections (Learn mate change can consult the Prolike the September 2014 People’s the Basics, See the Impacts, Think fessor Sneeze website, which feaClimate March, where upwards of like a Scientist and Be Part of the tures online illustrated children’s
400,000 people took to the streets Solution) so kids can get just the stories that present global warming
of New York City calling for emis- right amount of detail without feel- in a familiar context. The stories for
sions reductions, as indicators that ing overwhelmed. One feature of five- to eight-year-olds follow a
change may finally be afoot.
the site is a virtual trip around the cartoon bunny on various warming
“The fight for a fossil free fu- world to see the effects of climate related adventures. A few of the
ture will continue whether or not change in different regions. An story titles include “The Earth Has
emissions calculator — with ques- a Fever,” “Where Are the Igloos of
tions tailored to kids’ lifestyles — Iglooville?” and “Tears on the Other
helps connect everyday actions Side of the World.” The site also
(like running the water while brush- features stories geared toward 8- to
ing teeth) and climate change. And 10-year-olds and 10- to 12-yeara FAQ page answers some of the olds.
most common questions about cliOf course, teachers can play a
mate change in easy-to-read short key role in making sure kids are
paragraphs.
well versed in the science of climate
Another great online resource is change. A recently launched initiaNASA’s Climate Kids website, tive from the National Center for
which engages kids with games, Science Education (NCSE)—long
videos and craft activities and of- respected for its work in defending
fers digestible info on what’s caus- and supporting the teaching of evoing climate change and how kids lution in the public schools—aims
can make a difference. A guided to help teachers do a better job of
tour of the “Big Questions” (What teaching climate change in the
does climate change mean? What classroom. The group’s Climate
is the greenhouse effect? How do Change Education website points
we know the climate is changing? teachers to a treasure trove of reWhat is happening in the oceans? sources they can use to demystify
and others) uses cartoon characters the science behind global warming,
and brightly colored designs to help combat “climate change denial”
kids come to grips with the basics. and support “climate literacy.”
Delegates from hundreds of nations will meet in Paris in December 2015 to try to hash out an international
climate pact.
Dear EarthTalk: What are the
prospects for reaching an international agreement to rein in carbon
emissions significantly at the upcoming Paris climate talks at the
end of 2015? — Jason Cervantes,
Los Angeles, CA
All eyes will be on Paris this
coming December when climate
delegates from around the world
gather there for the 21st annual session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the 1992 United
Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Achieving their objective — a legally binding and universal agreement limiting carbon emissions to
keep global warming below two
degrees Celsius — has been elusive
to date, but environmentalists remain optimistic that 21 could be
their lucky number.
“I have every expectation that
negotiators will agree on an international climate pact in Paris,” says
Jennifer Morgan, Climate Program
Global Director for the World Resources Institute, a sustainabilityoriented non-profit think tank.
“This first truly global climate
agreement will embody a new form
of international cooperation that
can put the world on a path to a low-
carbon economy.”
Morgan remains optimistic not
only because clean tech investments are surging worldwide while
manufacturing costs for renewables
like solar plummet, but also because
the world’s largest emitters, the
U.S., China and India, are already
making unprecedented climate
commitments. “All of this sends
positive momentum heading into
the climate talks in Paris,” she adds.
Meanwhile, Jamie Henn, strategy and communications director
for the non-profit 350.org, agrees
that the prospects for some kind of
deal look good, but wonders “if it
will actually significantly cut emissions.” He explains that some countries, led by the U.S., are trying to
transform the climate agreement
from a legally binding document
that mandates emissions reductions
to a looser “pledge and review”
approach, whereby countries voluntarily offer up their own emissions
reductions and financial commitments.
“That makes it easier to get a
deal, but it’s unclear whether the
commitments will really add up,”
says Henn. “So far, it isn’t promising.” He adds that few countries
have put forward the types of bold
PLACES TO GO
Hotel Villa Montãna, owned by French Count Nicolas de Reiset and his wife Ava. This is the Hotel Villa Montãna Gardens. (Photo by Hotel Villa Montãna)
Expect the unexpected in Michoacán, Mexico
By Sandy Zimmerman
Las Vegas Tribune
Unique... Exotic... Extraordinary... Your journey through the
state of Michoacán is not the usual
Mexican trip! This is the “real”
Mexico. Not as well known as some
of the other areas of Mexico, everything about Michoacan is different. You experience the difference
when you walk around the cities,
dine in their restaurants, and stay
in the hotels.
The strong Spanish influence is
everywhere, buildings dating from
the 1500s-1600s still stand to echo
their stories of the past.
UNESCO named the entire capitol city of Morelia a world heritage
site- an outdoor museum. Preserving these beautiful historic buildings creates the feeling that you are
on a movie set of another era.
And your adventure continues
with each meal. Stepping into the
past, the Hotel Villa Montãna is part
of the beauty and history of
Morelia. The elegance of the
Montãna, their incredible gourmet
delights, and the love story of the
owners are the makings of a script
for Hollywood. When you drive
through the wrought iron gate and
enter the grounds, you are suddenly
transported to a 50-year-old historic
mansion. Paths take you around
four acres of sculptures, gardens,
terraces, and private patios.
Experience the feeling of fine
dining where you are surrounded by
expensive museum-quality paintings, antiques, and intricate carvings. While being entertained by a
pianist, choose from French, International, or Mexican cuisine. This
is a meal to remember! French
Count Nicolas de Reiset saw the
Villa Montãna 30 years ago and fell
in love with it. Much later Ava, an
attractive Parisian femme, visited
Morelia and fate brought her to stay
at his hotel. They married and still
enjoy being around the hotel and
greeting their guests. Tyrone Power
and Ava Gardner spent time here
during the shooting of the film “the
Sun Also Rises.”
The owner of the Restaurante
San Miguelito has a sense of humor and is not afraid to be different. His understanding about combining fine food with unusual decor makes this a MUST SEE!
The Bar Taurino’s lounge and
stage are decorated like a small
bullring. Each table in the dining
room is different with its own-style
crystal, settings, tableware, and
chairs! El Rincon de las Solteronas
(Spinster’s Corner) is dedicated to
Saint Anthony. Women pray to
Saint Anthony to intervene and help
them find a “special” man and make
their dreams come true. During the
ceremony, they light a candle, donate 13 coins, and circle the altar
13 times. Each woman places a
statue of the saint upside down, to
be turned over when she gets her
man. There are around 250 statues
hanging upside down around the
walls, which means 250 women are
waiting. Sit near the saint’s room
and watch the activities or go in and
try your luck.
Where is Michoacán? The state
is located between Guadalahara and
Mexico City. There is so much to
see that you will want to spend several days in Morelia, and if you
have time, experience the “TOTAL
DIFFERENCE” For information
and a free Mexico travel guide contact the Mexican Tourism Board, 1(800)-44-MEXICO and visit the
website www.visitmexico.com/.
SUGGESTIONS: Do you have a
favorite city in the United States or
around the world? Please send the
reasons for your choice, your name,
telephone number, email and you
may win tickets to a free show or
other prizes. Award winning Sandy
Zimmerman has been involved in
producing television programs,
television commercials and travel
specials for 28 years. Sandy is a
syndicated Show and Dining Reviewer, travel writer, professional
photographer and talk show host of
the Las Vegas Today Show and Discover the Ultimate Vacation travel
specials. For information or questions about any of Sandy’s columns,
contact her at (702) 735-5974.
Spanish influence in the buildings around Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico (Photo by Mexico Tourism)
Hotel Villa Montãna’s Patio. (Photo by Hotel Villa Montãna)
Above two photos Spanish-style buildings, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.
(Photos by Sandy Zimmerman)

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