Maxfield Parrish illustration

Knickerbocker's History of New York (1899)

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The Irascible One

Is the Republican Party in trouble? Yes

Is there an alternative? No.

The GOP is being complacent again and when that happens many that might vote republican don't. The problem isn't that they vote democrat, it's that they don't vote, and that allows democrats to win elections with numbers lower than what the GOP should receive. Part of this is the candidate's fault, some (actually most) is the fault of the party hierarchy which is the absolute most complacent in Nevada. The state convention in Mesquite was a perfect example of this.

At the county level there was no scramble to get people there and get them fired up to win. So-called candidate Dean Heller didn't even bother to show up. There's a sincere effort to serve his party and his state in Washington.

The only good thing to come out of this kind of complacency is a total lack of a platform coming from the democrats. Led by Harry (Pinky) Reid all they have offered so far is whining. There is no platform for democrats to run on, and republicans can swarm them if they give just a little bit. Do you really want the peanut farmer's kid representing you?

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It's only unethical if a republican is involved? --- When someone wants something special from an elected representative, and they give something special in order to be heard, well, outside politics it's called bribery. Inside politics, if your name is Harry Reid, it's only unethical if the elected official happens to be republican.

Old Pinky was given ringside seats more than once by the Nevada Boxing Commission at the same time the senator was working on legislation dealing with, hold your hats fellow disbeliever, boxing. Reid said the tickets wouldn't influence him.

Isn't that what they always say? Like Rolling Stones tickets. Like NASCAR SkyBoxes. Oh, dear.

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A note to Clark County judiciary --- Since those that are supposed to be the guardians of your safety, that is the D.A. and others, and since only federal grand juries seem to get anything done in the southland, it is a breath of fresh air to find two district judges in little Douglas County worrying about their citizen's safety. District Judge Dave Gamble and District Judge Michael Gibbons are convening a grand jury in Douglas County. Is it a fear of criminal activity?

No, they say, "This is a wellness check of country government." What a concept.

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What happens if? --- If Rick Rizzolo isn't able to sell the Crazy Horse Too will the feds then simply take it over, close up shop, put naked ladies on the street, and put the Ricker in prison? Not a bad idea, but so far the feds ain't saying. Selling a topless joint in Las Vegas has not been easy recently. None of the points in the plea deal Rizzolo made with the feds takes place until the joint sells.

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A sport? Really? --- The Irascible One used to take part in some late night Texas Hold 'em games when he lived in rural Nevada, but it was never considered a sport. A sporting night out with the boys, maybe, but a sport? I'm in shape, let's go!

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Almost as foolish --- Where oh where has our common sense gone? English as the national language, decreed by congress? Most of our original émigrés came from the Germanic states back in the 1600s. The entire southwest and west was part of Spain with Spanish as the predominant language. The Gulf States were part of France with French being the language of choice. There are places in Alabama that those that speak English from Boston can't understand the English being spoken.

Now good old Pinky comes forward again and calls all this foolishness racist. Those screaming the loudest for English to be the national language probably failed high school English.

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Ensign won't apologize --- Nevada Senator John Ensign refused to meet with a group called Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a political action committee demanding an apology for comments the senator made at the state's republican convention. Ensign said that those who question the execution of the war in Iraq emboldened the enemy.

The group's director, Jon Soltz of New York should worry more about Jimmie Carter's kid getting into congress. Carter wasn't the biggest supporter of our military if you remember.

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New or used? --- Las Vegas has come in with one more honor, or questionable honor. Clark County has been named the area of the country with the second highest number of automobile thefts. There were almost 22,500 cars stolen in southern Nevada last year according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

One wag said if you knew the right people you could almost put in an order. Auto theft and the chop shops that strip the vehicles and sell the parts are how some gangs partly subsidize their drug operations.

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