A Shot In The Foot As Good As One To The Head

by Johnny Gunn

One of the sad things today is the perception we have of our elected leaders being underhanded at best, actual criminal at worst and sometimes the picture is glaringly in focus. The correlation between Steven Holten in northern Nevada and Michael O'Sullivan in southern Nevada is filthy racism. The sad thing is they both say they want to be politicians. As if we don't already have enough of them.

Holten is in jail as I write this, charged with numerous sex crimes. He is HIV positive and has full-blown AIDS. He is the self-proclaimed leader of the state's Aryan Nations organization. Holten is on parole from federal prison after being found guilty of attempting to bomb or otherwise damage Jewish synagogues in the Reno area. O'Sullivan has lost his right to operate half way houses in Las Vegas, is being investigated by several law-enforcement agencies and is trying to establish the White Peoples Party in Nevada.

Holten is about as stupid a person as one will find in politics, nay, life today. Known to the state as a parolee with AIDS, he distributed fliers advertising sex for sale. An undercover cop took him up on the deal with handcuffs and three-meals a day. It is a felony in Nevada for a person infected with HIV to knowingly have sex with someone without disclosing their illness. Publicly distributing sex for sale fliers is not only against the law, it is sure to bring the boys in blue.

There's one political leader down the tubes if you'll pardon the pun. Michael O'Sullivan is a different breed, but just as dangerous. He has been quoted as saying he won't allow Jews in the White Peoples Party and then tells a reporter "The National Vanguard stays out of religion." The National Vanguard is the organization promoting the White Peoples Party in Nevada. O'Sullivan has said that anyone not of white European descent should be sent out of the country.

He hasn't said where he would want those who lived here before Europeans invaded the continent to be sent.

The National Vanguard and the White Peoples Party have been active at the university and college level, recruiting members and promoting their brand of racism and hate. O'Sullivan recently said, while talking about non-whites, "We don't want anything to do with them whatsoever." He has said that he is proud that he never tips anyone who isn't white.

According to ACLU and other organizations, federal law may have something to do with who might be able to be in a legitimate political party. The White Peoples Party is currently circulating a petition that only needs about 7,000 signatures to make it a legal political party. O'Sullivan has said he won't let non-white people and Jews in the party.

Activity on college campuses around the country comes from the fact that young people are considered more passionate about their politics. O'Sullivan says there are volunteers all over the state gathering signatures for the petition. He also has said recently that the organization plans to offer initiative petitions to change the state's constitution. He refuses to go into detail about how or what he wants changed.

Corruption in business and politics is hard enough to try to control. Both Holten and O'Sullivan have police records so that does set them apart from other political criminals who too often slime their way out of difficulties. A C&E [Campaign Contributions and Expenses] report that is manipulated and false is a crime, a felony. Selling sex when infected with HIV is a crime, a felony. Civil rights violations too often are not full-blown felonies. But however you look at all the above, a crime is a crime, a perpetrator is an alleged criminal.

Is this what Nevada politics is coming to?

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