By: Chuck Muth
Nevada News and Views

TODAY’S NN&V HEADLINES

  • Are Private Property Rights Gone with The Wynn (Chuck Muth) – The last thing gaming giant Steve Wynn needs is to be defended by a small-fry Nevada political activist/columnist like me. But here we go anyway.
  • How Jim Gibbons Can Get His Groove Back (Chuck Muth) – So, is Gov. Jim Gibbons toast?
  • Ballot Box Mystery Solved? Hold On There, Bubba-Louie (Chuck Muth) – On Sunday, Las Vegas Review Journal columnist/blogger John L. Smith wrote the following: “If anyone wants to study the dysfunction of Nevada’s Republican Party, they’ll have to analyze the horse manure that passed for procedure during the April 2008 GOP state convention….”
  • Welcome to Paultard Karaoke! (Chuck Muth) – In case you’re just tuning in, I’m one of the millions of Ron Paul supporters in America today. In fact, I was a Ron Paul fan long before being a Ron Paul fan became “cool.” But in any group of people there are always lunatic fringe elements. So when I refer to “Paultards,” I’m not referring to all Ron Paul supporters, just the small band who are, quite literally, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. Like Robert Holloway.
  • Libertarians host first annual Government Sucks Day (Examiner.com) – Forget the Tea Party protests. Forget the 9/12 project. Libertarians are gathering in Texas for an event that cuts to the heart of the freedom movement: big government sucks.

Click here to read these stories at the Nevada News & Views site!

MUTH’S TRUTHS

Hiedi, Heidi, Heidi, Ho

OK, as I understand it, the missing key to the missing ballot box containing the missing ballots of that meaningless 2008 Nevada Republican Party convention at the Peppermill in Reno was in the possession of former National Committeewoman Beverly Willard, who mailed it to Chairman Sue Lowden over the summer, who gave it to party Secretary Carol DeCarlo, who then handed it off to current National Committeewoman Heidi Smith. Smith then opened the box at Washoe County GOP headquarters on Friday so the ballots could be counted.

Question: Who gave Smith permission to do this?

Clearly the matter of the missing ballot box and all the questions surrounding it was of extreme interest to the entire party. Did the Central Committee, or at least the Executive Board, approve of Smith’s actions in this regard, or did she just “lone-wolf” it without authority? Ought to make for an interesting discussion at the GOP’s next meeting on November 14 in Hawthorne.

Reid’s LP Challenger’s Story on Being Shot by Cops

Jim Duensing is a former chairman of the Nevada Libertarian Party, former LP candidate against Democrat Rep. Shelley Berkley, and current LP candidate against Democrat Sen. Harry Reid. But none of that made the news this week on its own. Instead, Duensing grabbed headlines by being tasered and shot by Metro police officers at a traffic stop.

Here’s Duensing’s account of the incident….

“I was pulled over for driving straight through an intersection in a right turn only lane. I did signal for my lane changes to the left. After exiting the vehicle at the officer’s request, I was standing with my back to the vehicle. The car’s open door was to my right. My hands were raised above my head. I was calmly speaking to the cop attempting to talk my way out of being taken to jail over an unpaid High Occupancy Vehicle ticket. With my hands raised above my head, the cop shot me with a taser in the chest.”

Now, is anyone out there buying this story? I mean, I accept that there are occasional “rogue” cops out there power-tripping with a little too much “authoritah.” But considering Duensing’s reputation as a “truther,” does anyone really believe he was tased simply for calmly trying to talk his way out of a traffic ticket with his hands high above his head?

I wasn’t there, so I don’t know. But call me skeptical. I wonder if the cops have a video of the incident?

OTHER NEWS

  • NNB: Woman Suing Guv Hired by Controller
  • Sun: Steve Wynn’s politics in the news, but not new
  • Boortz: Harry Reid – Liar
  • Mitchell: Who are you going to believe about health care reform?
  • Sun: Spokesman: Gibbons ‘made mistake’ over Reid car bomb
  • Ralston: Roll Call’s take on Nevada’s federal races
  • Clark: It appears Brian Sandoval is on the right track
  • Sun: Special session likely; tax hike not
  • RJ: Life After Politics: Many stars decide to stay away
  • Ralston: Sarah Palin’s family loves Danny Tarkanian!
  • NPRI: A ‘vision’ of extortion and control

Click here to read these stories at the Nevada News & Views site!

TUBE TIPS

Glenn Puit, author of an upcoming book on the death of former Nevada Controller Kathy Augustine, goes “Face to Face” with Jon Ralston tonight. The program airs on Las Vegas ONE on Cox Channel 19 at 5:30 pm, 6:30 pm and 8:00 pm.

Sam Shad’s guest on today’s Nevada Newsmakers program will be Assemblywoman Shiela Leslie, (D) Washoe Dist 27. The program airs on KRNV-TV Channel 4 at 12:30 pm in Reno and on Cox Cable Channel 123 at 4:30 pm and 11:35 pm in Las Vegas.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

  • “The people who run the Republican Party are going to have to learn that moving to the left is not going to win them election.” – Mark Barie, chairman of the Upstate Tea Party organization in New York and a key factor in today’s NY 23 congressional election
  • “Ford, the only car maker not to get a bailout, reported a 1 billion dollar quarterly profit!” – Blogger Mike Zahara, WatchdogWag.com, 11/3/09
  • “Based on recent communications with enlisted Marines (of various ranks), a perspective is developing around the current rules of engagement for Afghanistan. There is no such thing as air or artillery support any more. The ROE General McChrystal has set in place is killing Marines. Sure, there was the ROE in Iraq, but Marines were genuinely encouraged to think for themselves, assess the situation, and ascertain the best course of action independently. This is not being done in Afghanistan, where rules are micromanaging the tactical situation.” – Herschel Smith, Captains Journal, 11/1/09
  • “Sarah Palin – She’s on Facebook. She’s on Twitter. She’s on MooseHunters.com. Palin’s gone more viral than the Swine Flu. Tearing pages from the Obama playbook, the hockey mom has taken her message to the fabulous interweb, stirring up debate while curled up on a couch with her laptop. The only problem? 65% of Americans don’t feel she has the ability to be an effective candidate, including 51% of Republicans. If that doesn’t turn around in the next twelve months, her 2012 campaign could be the biggest bust since Meghan McCain’s Twittergate.” – PoliticalDerby.com
  • “Wait a minute, wait a minute Ray. Have you read the report? And I hope you read the police report. Did you read it? It didn’t say car bomb. It said there was a shoe box with a phone book in it. The last time I defined bomb it wasn’t a shoe box with a phone book in it. If it is then Nextel is a weapons of mass destruction proliferator. That is not a bomb.” – Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons on a 1981 incident involving Sen. Harry Reid responding to a question by Ray Hagar on Nevada Newsmakers on Monday
  • “Back in the days when George Meany ran the AFL-CIO, he was adamant that the unions should not chain themselves to any political party… Instead, unions like the Teamsters today insist on dragging their members along, like a whale boat racing behind Moby Dick, joining their fate to that of the depraved modern Ahab known as the Democratic Party.” – Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial, 11/2/09
  • “If anyone wondered – and only Joe Heck’s primary opponents do -whether the National Republican Congressional Committee is behind the former state senator’s bid to oust Rep. Dina Titus, the NRCC’s boss made it clear today in Congress Daily. Texas Rep. Pete Sessions mentioned Heck as one of his ‘leading candidates’ for the 2010 cycle, according to the publication. Case closed.” – Jon Ralston, Flash, 11/2/09
  • “The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is one of Nevada’s premier patronage dumping grounds! Any reputable firm like Ernst & Young or Accenture would tell us in an audit that fully 1/3 of present, high-salaried staffing levels should be flushed immediately.” – Blogger Mike Zahara, WatchdogWag.com

CALENDAR

  • November 6: First Friday Happy Hour Brewhaha at Stoney’s in Las Vegas from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. FREE….but you must RSVP to [email protected] to get in for the 2-1 drink specials. Visit www.firstfridaynevada.com
  • November 6: First Friday Happy Hour RENO! From 5:30-8:00 pm at the Sapphire Lounge at Harrah’s Downtown Reno. Co-sponsored by the Nevada Federation of Young Republicans. 2 for 1 drinks and food specials. For more information, call Paul Jackson at 775-351-7549.
  • November 10: FREE Kids Happy Hour and Deck Party at Joe’s Crab Shack in Green Valley from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Playground, clown and $2 kids meals (with paid adult entrée). Special invited guest: GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Montandon. RSVP to [email protected]