Jeff Gordon- Crybaby

I really do like Jeff Gordon, except this past weekend when he intentionally rammed Matt Kenseth, preventing him from winning the race this past week in Martinsville.
From Espn: Jeff Gordon went into a brief profanity-laced meltdown over his in-car radio as Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag on Monday at Martinsville Speedway.
He was mad that the final caution came when he was about a hundred yards from taking the white flag and winning in regulation. He was mad that Matt Kenseth slammed into the rear of his No. 24 car on the first lap of the green-white-checkered finish to end any chance he had of winning at all.
He was mad that NASCAR even called the final caution that forced overtime...But the four-time champion may have been madder at NASCAR than anything. Since he couldn't slam the governing body into the wall like he slammed Kenseth to make sure he didn't win, he took a pointed shot at officials in his postrace press conference.
"It was pretty obvious to me NASCAR wanted to do a green-white-checkered finish," Gordon said. "There were cars blowing tires, hitting the wall ... they weren't throwing the caution.
"One spinout and they threw the caution in the blink of an eye. I think it was pretty obvious what they wanted."
NASCAR responds: "The caution was displayed because the No. 18 car got into the wall and was coming back down into the racing groove," Tharp wrote in an e-mail Tuesday. "Period."
Obviously, Gordon was pissed when the yellow was thrown, but he intentionally wrecked Keneseth on the final lap because Gordon was pissed because he knew he was about to lose the race, so he wrecked the #17 car. He was so concentrated that he wrecked the 17 car and wasn't paying attention to anything else and ended up losing, coming in 3rd.
So, Mr. Gordon, as much as my son loves you, you really sucked this past weekend.

Welcome Back Soldiers

From The Las Vegas Sun: More than 400 soldiers returned to Las Vegas today and were reunited with friends and family after a one-year deployment to Afghanistan.
Hundreds at the Mandalay Bay ceremony applauded as bag pipers kicked off the ceremony, welcoming the Nevada Army National Guard’s 1-221st Cavalry Squadron back home. The group was deployed in April 2009 on a security mission to help with reconstruction in Afghanistan.
Some soldiers wore black cowboy hats and spurs on their boots as a tradition to represent their squadron, said William Burks, Nevada’s adjutant general.
Family members dressed for the occasion, wearing “welcome home” T-shirts and carrying small American flags. One small boy wore a T-shirt that read, “Daddy is my hero.”
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/31/400-nevada-soldiers-return-home-afghanistan/
Welcome back soldiers and job well done. Now go get some rest.

CCEA To CCSD: Layoff Hundreds Of Teachers

The Clark County Education Association (the teacher's union) told the Clark County School District that they will not budge very much in negotiations regarding the district's budget shortfall. "But Ruben Murillo, president of the teachers union, the Clark County Education Association, said the group will not be rushed into a deal, even if it means hundreds of teachers probably will receive layoff notices.
"We still have a lot of negotiating to do," said Murillo, who leads the union that bargains on behalf of 18,000 teachers. "I'm not going to capitulate."
The district is struggling to close a $123 million budget gap for 2010-2011, which was created by a $78 million cut in state funding and an expected $45 million decline in property tax revenues." http://www.lvrj.com/news/teachers--union-withholds-support-for-furloughs-proposal-89579027.html
Meanwhile the other three unions said it was ok for the district to use 4 furlough days in a way to reduce salaries: Three of four Clark County School District employee unions have offered to take unpaid furloughs to prevent mass layoffs, but the teachers union, the largest bargaining group, is withholding its support for the proposal. (same article)
I belong to the teacher's union and I can say this: the vast majority of teachers I have talked to support getting rid of staff development days in exchange for the reduced pay.
If the teachers don't reach a settlement, and it appears there is a good possibility they won't, about 540 teachers will lose their jobs. Now, the teachers are gambling that there be few if any layoffs will come about because of retirements and people leaving the district.
Because of the teacher's position, teachers will also will a pr battle with the public. Greedy teachers will be the new mantra in the public setting, either in comments in the Sun and LVRJ, local talk shows and on the street.
So, CCEA, please listen to your members, you may get another view.

Obama And Democrats To Sallie Mae Workers About To Be Unemployed: Screw You!

The Democrats, through their health care bill, just took over the student loan program. because of this, about 2,500 employees of Sallie Mae, a company that provides college loans will be laid off. There will be more layoffs from this legislation as other companies lose business. "Powerhouse student loan provider Sallie Mae says layoffs are imminent as a result of President Obama's new student loan overhaul.
"This legislation will force Sallie Mae to reduce our 8,600-person workforce by 2,500," Conwey Casillas, Vice President of Sallie Mae Public Affairs, said in a statement to Fox News.
Obama was at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria on Tuesday to sign the student loan changes into law. The new bill includes a provision for the government to begin directly lending to students, bypassing financial institutions like Sallie May that traditionally have provided the loans. Obama said that such institutions have soaked up billions in subsidies.
"Now, it probably won't surprise you to learn that the big banks and financial institutions hired a army of lobbyists to protect the status quo," Obama said. "In fact, Sallie Mae, America's biggest student lender, spent more than $3 million on lobbying last year alone."
Indeed, Sallie Mae has been outspoken in its opposition to the plan, calling it a "government takeover" just last month." http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/30/sallie-mae-blames-layoffs-obamas-student-loan-overhaul/
Obama, Reid and Pelosi's view is that since the government guarantees the loan, they should also reap the rewards from the interest collected. Fair enough.
But Obama, Reid and Pelosi are against companies making profits and this is why they took over the student loan program.
Instead of the government taking over, they should have let the banks and Sallie Mae run the program and get government out of the business.
The Federal government now controls about 48% of the U.S. economy. From the bank bailouts, auto industry bailouts, taking over most of the countries mortgages from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, health care and student loans. Soon, they will set their sites on some more industries, I predict. We have a socialist government and it happened within the last 2 years.

Good News From Obama But I'll Believe It When I See It

From Reuters: The Obama administration is expected to announce by Wednesday its updated plan for oil and natural gas drilling in U.S. waters, including whether to allow exploration for the first time along the U.S. East Coast. The plan could pave the way for a significant new domestic source of energy, helping to reduce U.S. dependence on oil imports and boost supplies of natural gas used to displace coal in power plants as the country works to reduce emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62T06520100330
If true, this is great news for the consumers, drivers and users of natural gas.
However, I will believe it when I see it. This goes against what Obama and liberals stand for. If true, the environmentalists are going to throw a huge hissy fit. So, is Obama throwing part of his base under the bus?
I'll believe it when I see it.

h/t Drudge

Some Interesting Public Safety Web Sites For The Las Vegas

Frustrated with the pretty lame traffic reports on the radio and TV. Well, I am and here some web sites that will give up to the second traffic and fire alarms:
Metro Police, which lists accidents and traffic problems in Metro's jurisdiction: http://www.lvmpd.com/cgi-bin/traffic/traffic.pl

Nevada Highway Patrol which lists all accidents, road closures and traffic problems within the State: http://www.nvdpspub.gov/nhp/roadhazard.aspx

The Clark County Fire Department Alarm Page, which includes the Clark County, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, sometimes Henderson fire departments: http://fire.co.clark.nv.us/AlarmOffice/Alarm%20Office.aspx

If you want to find out how much crime is in your neighborhood, if it is within Metro's jurisdiction: http://www.lvmpd.com/crimeviewcommunity/default.asp

What If A Conservative Wrote This?

"I have noticed that my local Albertsons tends to display the Froot Loops just a little more prominently than other stores in town. I've also peeked into my neighbors' iTunes lists and noticed that Broadway show tunes are disproportionately popular around here, but I try not to read too much into this sort of thing. And, yes, even though Rainbow Boulevard is way across town, those colorful arcs are undeniably brighter in the skies over my house after a good rain."...I hope 89121 doesn't come out ahead in that count, because if that happens, I fear more straights will be lured here — as they have been by every other gay mecca — by the practical charms and well-maintained properties. And if that happens, well, there goes the gayborhood. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/30/gayzipcode-89121/
This story is about how many gay couples who have signed up for Nevada's domestic partnership law.
The writer, Steve Friess, who is gay, uses the same stereotypes that if a conservative used to describe gays, would be lambasted for being insensitive and bigoted by lumping all gays into stereotypes.
Las Vegas Sun show it's hypocrisy again.

Another Nail In The Coffin For Global Warming

I've never believed in global warming, but have always have been interested in what the global warming Kool aide drinkers think. It really isn't about global warming, but it's about forcing their views and values on the nation, just like this new Obama, Reid and Pelosi health care bill.
Well, the global warming have been caught lying about supposed "facts" and now comes another case of false or misleading information. From Fox News: "E-mail messages obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request reveal that NASA concluded that its own climate findings were inferior to those maintained by both the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit (CRU) -- the scandalized source of the leaked Climate-gate e-mails -- and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center.
The e-mails from 2007 reveal that when a USA Today reporter asked if NASA's data "was more accurate" than other climate-change data sets, NASA's Dr. Reto A. Ruedy replied with an unequivocal no. He said "the National Climatic Data Center's procedure of only using the best stations is more accurate," admitting that some of his own procedures led to less accurate readings.
"My recommendation to you is to continue using NCDC's data for the U.S. means and [East Anglia] data for the global means," Ruedy told the reporter.
"NASA's temperature data is worse than the Climate-gate temperature data. According to NASA," wrote Christopher Horner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute who uncovered the e-mails. Horner is skeptical of NCDC's data as well, stating plainly: "Three out of the four temperature data sets stink." http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/03/30/nasa-data-worse-than-climategate-data/
Of course, the Kool Aide drinkers will just dismiss this as well. But then nothing will persuade them to change their view because it is not about global warming, it's about control and power and they don't want to give that up.

Are There Any Good BBQ Places In Las Vegas?

As a person who loves good BBQ- ribs and chicken, I always want to find a good place to eat. In Wisconsin, there was Smokey Jon's in Madison and Speed Queen BBQ in Milwaukee.
In Las Vegas, I have gone to Memphis BBQ (hated it) and Famous Dave's (liked it but quite expensive for the amount of food you get) Talking to co-workers, I never got a sense there is a good BBQ place in town.
So, are there any good BBQ places in the Las Vegas Valley?

It's Official: It's Spring In Las Vegas (Until tomorrow)

Mojave Max emerged from his burrow this morning, making it official- it's Spring in Las Vegas. Today's high will be 81 with 30+ mph winds. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/30/desert-tortoise-emerges-proclaiming-spring-desert/
Proving that a Desert Tortoise is about as smart as Al Gore in predicting weather and global warming, tomorrow's high temperature is only going to be 59 degrees. So much for Spring.

Father Of A Fallen Marine Ordered To Pay Westboro Church Attorney Fees

In a very disgraceful move by the 4th Federal Court of Appeals, a father of a fallen marine has been ordered to pay the terrorist group, the Westboro Church, their attorney's fees from a lawsuit the father had filed when the terrorists terrorized his son's funeral.
The father of a Marine killed in Iraq and whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters from Kansas was ordered to pay the protesters' appeal costs, his lawyers said Monday.
"The father of a Marine killed in Iraq and whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters from Kansas was ordered to pay the protesters' appeal costs, his lawyers said Monday.
On Friday, Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ordered Snyder to pay $16,510 to Fred Phelps. Phelps is the leader of Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church, which conducted protests at Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder's funeral in 2006.
The two-page decision supplied by attorneys for Albert Snyder of York, Pa., offered no details on how the court came to its decision.
Attorneys also said Snyder is struggling to come up with fees associated with filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court.
The decision adds "insult to injury," said Sean Summers, one of Snyder's lawyers.
The high court agreed to consider whether the protesters' message is protected by the First Amendment or limited by the competing privacy and religious rights of the mourners." Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2010/03/29/1246609/marines-dad-ordered-to-pay-protesters.html#ixzz0jgTk0lKz
The so-called judges in this case are a disgrace to the United States judicial system. Not only did they order the father to pay, they didn't even give a reason for it.
It's cases like this that piss off Americans towards the government.

Pawn Stars Review: March 29, 2010

Well, the Pawn Stars made some news this week in the Las Vegas Review Journal a couple times this week. First, they were in Wisconsin and were greeted by 3000 fans and the second bit of news was that the shop is going to be expanded. The shop will spend $400,000 to expand the shop.
In the first episode, a Grammy Award for the song "Patches", from 1970. The Grammy went to Roland Dunbar, a songwriter. The guy who brought it in wanted $6000 and Rick originally wanted to give $1500. It finally went for $2350.
The next guy brought in an old Coke Cooler. It's a small box. The guy wanted $300 and was counter offered $50 and it went for $100. They decided to restore the cooler for for $350 and it might go for $2500. The restorer did a really good job and said that the new selling price is $4500.
The next guy brought in a Spanish Silver Coin, from 1676. The coin was a fake and the guy got nothing. But the coin may have fooled the Old Man because he didn't have his glasses on.
The next couple brought in a rick shaw. It may have been in the old Sigfried and Roy show. The first offer was $800 but Corey said no deal because rick shaws aren't legal in Las Vegas.
The next guy guy brought in a French musket from 1777. It's about 5 feet long. Rick had some concerns about the gun, so they brought in an expert, Sean. The gun turned out to be a movie prop gun, so no sale.
In the 2nd episode, the first guy was a repeat. The first guy brought in a miniature suit of armour. The guy got about $1500.
The next guy brought in a spy glass. They went to Mark, from the Clark County Museum. The museum is located in Henderson, on Boulder Hwy. The spy glass was an original but they couldn't tell which ship it was on. The guy wanted $1200 but Rick countered with $200 and there was no deal.
The next guy brought in a 1996 Harley Road King. It had pink flames on the sides. The guy wanted $15,000 and Corey offered $5000 and then $8000 and that was the final price. They redid the paint job for $1500 and it painted blue and changed the seat. They think they can sell the bike for $15,000 or so. And of course Corey rode the bike without a helmet, which is a big no-no in Nevada, as we are mandatory motorcycle helmet State.
The next guy brought in some military knives. The first knife was a elk handle on a Navy knife while the second knife was thought to be a hunting knife. Time for an expert. They brought in Dean for an expert opinion. The big knife was a military knife while the small knife with the elk handle was a real blade but fake handle. The guy got $249.50 for the big knife and nothing for the elk handle knife.
The trivia question was how many people don't pay off their loans when they pawn an item. The answer is 20%.
Thus ends another week of Pawn Stars. Just hope not to get blown away tomorrow as winds can get up to 60 mph.

Injured Officer Update

Today, Channel 13 stated that the injured officer, Michael Madland, is in a medically induced coma and is still in critical condition.
"The surviving perp had any charges against him dropped today: "Charges were dropped Monday against the second man arrested in the shooting of a Las Vegas police officer last week after prosecutors announced they were unable to proceed.
Justice of the Peace Deborah Lippis told Marvin Wilson, "There is no complaint filed, sir. You're ordered released with no return date." Wilson, 45, will remain in custody at the Clark County Detention Center on $100,000 bond for an unrelated petit larceny charge, according to jail records.
Police originally charged Wilson with possession of a stolen vehicle and resisting a police officer relating to the March 23 shooting that left officer Michael Madland fighting for his life.
Clark County District Attorney David Roger said there was not enough evidence to establish that Wilson was driving the stolen vehicle or if he was, that he should have known that the vehicle was stolen to support the possession of a stolen vehicle charge.
The charge of resisting a police officer would have to be heard in Las Vegas Municipal Court because the incident happened within the city limits, Roger said."
I find it hard to believe that Wilson did not know that the car was stolen. As a commentator said on this blog earlier, the two, Wilson and Beal, are related. ( http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2010/03/something-bothers-me-about-police.html) One would think that if they are cousins and they hung out together, Wilson should have know whether the Mercedes Benz was stolen. after all, it was a Mercedes Benz. Could Beal afford it? Did Beal tell him? During the chase, didn't Wislon ask why the cops were after them? I just find it hard to believe. But Wilson has been around the criminal justice system and he knows how to game the system.
The good thing is that he still in jail and won't get out anytime soon.

Now That's One Hell Of A Tip

From Norm of the LVRJ: "Down the Strip at CityCenter, the Light Group nightclub Haze at Aria was the scene of an epic champagne-buying spree Saturday night.
A photo of the high roller's receipt for $182,000-plus turned up on an Aria casino host's Twitter site.
According to the casino host, the big spender ordered super-sized bottles: one each of Cristal, Moet Chandon, Dom Perignon and an unidentified brand of vodka.
He left a $30,000 tip on top of the automatic 20 percent gratuity ." http://www.lvrj.com/news/strip-clubs-report-big-saturday-night-89380362.html
A $57,000 tip will make any waitress, bartender or anyone else working in the casinos night and probably year.
Just hope the whale's credit is good.

Just 2 Simple Questions

If the Obama Care provision of mandating everyone must have insurance is found constitutional, what else can the federal government make you purchase? Perhaps cars from Government Motors(GM)? Can they force us to buy certain foods? Can they force us to go to a certain college? Or can they force us to purchase certain newspapers or get our news from certain news channels?
And if they can't, why not?
Question 2: Why are illegal immigrants exempt from this provision?

Guardian Angels Going to Indian Reservations

From The Havre Daily News: Fed up with growing gang violence, Montana tribal leaders this weekend will start the first-ever American Indian reservation chapter of the Guardian Angels. The new chapter of the citizens' crime-watch group — whose members are known by their red berets in New York, Chicago and other U.S. cities — will begin training about 50 recruits on the rural Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The sprawling reservation on the plains of eastern Montana is home to 6,000 of the approximately 10,000 enrol led members of the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes. Chauncey Whitwright III, vice chairman of the Wolf Point Community Organization, said the children of the 3,200-squaremile reservation are vulnerable to gangs that have crept in from the outside. Other Montana tribes, including the Blackfeet, Rocky Boy, Crow and Northern Cheyenne, report the same problem, Whitwright said, and he hopes the new Guardian Angels chapter will eventually expand its programs and patrols and give teens there an alternative. "There are all kinds of gangs roaming around up here," Whitwright said Thursday. "Our kids are in danger, they're being influenced, they're being targeted. It's going on every day of the week ... and they're busy recruiting." The Guardian Angels, started in New York City more than 30 years ago, has chapters in 14 countries and 140 cities. Curtis Sliwa, the outspoken founder of the Guardian Angels, called it a breakthrough that the traditionally insular Native American leaders invited the Guardian Angels to the reservation. The new chapter will be a model for other tribes and reservations in the West and among Canada's First Nations, he said. " http://www.havredailynews.com/cms/news/state_headlines/story-171661.html
I used to live in that area, by Havre MT. Being a Gurdian Angel in an urban is a far cry from being a Guardian Angel in a rural area.
I used to live in Dunseith ND and Havre MT. and both areas surround Indian Reservations. Crime is a huge problem, welfare along with alcoholism, dropping out from school and crime.
When I worked as a volunteer fireman in Dunseith, we would respond to fires in homes on the reservation land. If their house burned down, the reservation will build them a new one. We had a lot of arson fires and many of those involved people burning down their homes to get a new one.
Another problem is education. Native Americans have a huge drop out rate from school. Very few go on to college. One of the main reasons that I heard was that if a Native American went to college, they would be considered too white. There was huge pressure on Native Americans going to college from family and friends. While some Native Americans in high school were very good in sports, they would rarely recruited for college teams because the coaches understood the pressures the individual was under to drop out of school. More than once, I read about a athlete was given a full ride scholarship and the athlete, after a year or two would decide they didn't want to go to college and move back to the reservation.
So, if the Guardian Angels come on to the reservations, good luck. They face problems not seen in urban areas. They will discover the poverty, the government welfare and addictions, along with isolation from larger communities. It's not going to be easy.

Obama Visits Afghanistan, Liberals Silent

Today, President Obama traveled to Afghanistan to visit the soldiers and visit President Karzai.
While disagree with Obama on many things, I do give him credit for his work in Afghanistan. I don't have much of a problem with what he is doing in Iraq or Afghanistan ands seems like he is listening to the commanders in the field. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/28/obama-makes-surprise-visit-afghanistan/
I just wonder where are all the protesters of the war, congresscritters, MSM and liberal bloggers are? Since this is now Obama's war, they are mostly silent. Can we say hypocrites?

8000 People Attend Tea Party In Searchlight, Liberals Resort To Violence

8000 people traveled to Searchlight NV. for a rally against Harry Reid and the liberals running the country. That is quite a feat considering Searchlight is out in the middle of nowhere, 58 miles from the center of NV.
Sarah Palin was the main speaker, showing she is still very popular, unlike what liberals and the MSM say a she gave the keynote speech.
The liberals who were protesting showed their true colors by engaging violence by egging the Tea Party Express Bus. (of course this is minor but can you imagine if conservatives did this to a bus with liberals on it? There would calls of racism, violence, be called hate mongers etc.) The liberals had a counter demonstration said they hoped to get only 200 people. 200 people, that's not exactly show a lot of support to Reid.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/palin-issues-call-to-oust-reid--take-country-back-from-democrats---89332822.html
Funny, the Las Vegas Sun, the official mouthpiece of Harry and Rory Reid, declined to mention this in their article. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/27/day-tea-party-events-set-kick-reids-hometown/
After the rally, the caravan heads to Henderson, NV for a speech by Ann Coulter and others. I am sure that will be a nice and calm speech. :)

How Cool Is This: Autistic Teen's Bracket Perfect Through 2 Rounds

From ESPN: "ESPN's Tournament Challenge is currently hosting 4.78 million -- yes, million -- 2010 NCAA tournament bracket entries. After two rounds, not a single one of them is perfect. But the feat has, miraculously enough, been accomplished. Who did it? His name is Alex Herrman, and he's a 17-year-old student at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Ill., one of Chicago's north suburbs. Herrmann, who is autistic, picked all the wild upsets you and I didn't see happening. UNI over Kansas. Ohio over Georgetown. Cornell over Wisconsin. Your bracket may have survived. Your bracket might be good. Herrmann's bracket is 100 percent perfect. "...Can he seal the perfect bracket? Herrmann's Final Four is a bit dubious -- he has Tennessee coming out of the Midwest and Purdue overcoming the Robbie Hummel injury to make it out of the South -- not to mention the fact that the odds of attaining a perfect bracket are 1 in 35,360,000,000. http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/8632/autistic-teen-picks-perfect-bracket
Well, he got the ESPN jinx, as Purdue was taken out last night. But considering how many millions of brackets and seems like his is the only perfect bracket is quite amazing.

Harry Reid's Tea Party Candidate Facing Criminal Charges

From the LVRJ:
The legal woes of Scott Ashjian, the Tea Party of Nevada's U.S. senatorial candidate, have entered the criminal arena.
Ashjian was slapped with a criminal complaint dated Thursday alleging two felonies stemming from a bad check. According to the complaint, Ashjian on Dec. 7 wrote a $5,000 check to a man named Alex Hernandez, and it was returned unpaid.
Ashjian is charged with theft and passing a check without sufficient funds in a bank with intent to defraud. http://www.lvrj.com/news/nevada-tea-party-candidate-ashjian-facing-felony-charges-89307317.html
Ashjian responded by saying Harry Reid promised this all go away if he ran for Senate. (Well, not really) Ashjian really responded by saying this: "These charges are false. We cut a check to a company that we didn't know was unlicensed in the state of Nevada. When we found out that they were doing business illegally, we put a hold on the check. My company isn't going to promote companies that are operating illegally. Again, I have confidence that the facts will become clear."
All I can say is that Harry Reid needs to check out his surrogates before they run against him. Ashjian, in the past week, lost his contractor license, was sued in court alleging that Ashjein did not properly fill out his registration papers to run for U.S. Senate. Then he failed to show up at the hearing.
Unlike other Tea Party members, I don't Ashjian ill will. But I hope he drops out of the race because his personal and business life seems to be unraveling. He needs to have priorities and a futile run for the Senate should seem to be on the lowest rung, behind family and business and the law.
Pssst to Metro: If you want to arrest him, he will be at the Tea Party Express in Searchlight on Saturday.

ATT: Oops: 911 Calls From Salt Lake City Go To Seattle

From Firehouse.com: Some Salt Lake City AT&T carriers had a big problem yesterday when their 911 calls were mysteriously directed to an operator in Seattle, according to KSL-TV.
AT&T says the problem was fixed later that night, but it still doesn't know exactly what caused it.
"We were coming down from Farmington to drop my son off at school," resident Tony Sams told the new station. "We witnessed a hit-and-run incident. We dialed 911."
The 911 dispatcher's response when he gave her his location startled him when he found out he was calling Seattle.
Somehow, his iPhone had connected him with the emergency response center and he tried several more times with the same result, according to the report.
When he called the general dispatch number for Salt Lake City police, dispatchers told him the caller ID showed he was in Seattle. http://www.firehouse.com/news/top-headlines/utah-911-calls-sent-wash-dispatcher
Well, reach and out touch someone, a thousand miles away. It doesn't sound like there were any major problems but still, Salt Lake City and Seattle are pretty much the opposite cities. Too bad the calls didn't to Las Vegas, now that would be irony. Sin City helping out the squeakiest clean city in the United States. That would have been ironic.

Something Bothers Me About The Police Officer Shooting

When I wrote the other day about the police officer shooting around Washington and Rainbow, something caught my eye and it's been causing me to wonder what really happened.
Before I go further, I am not a cop hater and I support law enforcement, (unless they pull me over.)
I will say since this came from the Las Vegas Sun, it's accuracy can be easily questioned.
That being said, I just wonder about this: he "heard shots fired and found a LVMPD officer partially lying on the suspect." The second officer “saw the suspect pointing a black semi-automatic handgun at the downed officer” then “fired at the suspect to neutralize the threat against the downed officer.”
My question is this: One of the officers had the suspect partially covered. Since the officer knew he had a gun since the thug fired it and wounded a fellow officer, why did he tackle the thug? How come he didn't shoot him? Did his gun jam or was it not working? Was he afraid to shoot the guy? Did the thug shoot the officer while he was on the ground wrestling with the other officer?
To, it just seems strange the the officer would be fighting with this thug when he knew he had fired shoots and wounded a fellow officer.
Again, I am glad the thug is dead and no one else got injured and I am not trying to second guess the officers- they did what they had to do. But this scenario seems a bit strange.

One More Before I Go To Sleep

Great Music Before Bedtime

Walt Ruffles Announces His Retirement

Clark County school superintendent announced that he is retiring in August. From the LV Sun: "Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes announced tonight he will retire in August, after five years at the helm of the nation’s fifth-largest district.
The announcement, which follows several months of speculation as his contract is up for renewal in August, came near the close of the Clark County School Board’s regular meeting.
“Life is short and it’s getting late,” said Rulffes, who has been with the district 13 years. “Intellectually I believe this is the right thing to do. Emotionally it’s going to be very difficult to give up a job I love.”
Rulffes said he wanted to give the School Board sufficient time to launch a search for his replacement. His contract calls for 90 days notice of resignation."
I can understand why he wants to resign- the CCSD is being gutted because of budget cuts. He is going to resign in August, just when most schools open for the school year, so he won't have to deal with the budget problems and it's aftermath. And the next school year, the District will lose even more more.
I think Ruffles, overall, has done a good job but there are layers of bureaucracy in the district thatr waste money. Being a superintendent of a large school district is extremely difficult, given the different philosophies on how to teach students, the politics involved and the budget mess.
So, good luck, Dr. Ruffles and happy retirement. I certainly hope the school district hires someone has much better qualifications of the new superintendent of the Milwaukee Public Schools.

Officer Improving Slowly

From the Las Vegas Sun: "A Metro Police officer shot in the leg Tuesday by a suspected car thief is making improvements after numerous surgeries, police said Thursday.
Officer Mike Madland, 31, was shot twice while chasing a fleeing suspect who authorities said had been inside a stolen vehicle minutes earlier.
Madland, a three-year veteran of the force and a member of Metro’s saturation patrol, was shot twice: once in his bulletproof vest, which the round didn’t penetrate, and in his leg, where the bullet struck an artery. He was rushed to University Medical Center, where remains in critical condition after a number of surgeries.
Metro said doctors are hopeful his condition will improve to the point where he can undergo an additional surgery later Thursday."
Clearly, the officer is still in critical condition, so much so, that he is unable to undergo surgery at this time.
This part is interesting: "The report further stated that Beal jumped the wall at a home on Dolores, with an officer in pursuit. The officers aren’t identified in the report, but police on Wednesday gave an overview of events that indicated Madland pursued Beal. The second officer joined in the pursuit and when he entered the backyard, he "heard shots fired and found a LVMPD officer partially lying on the suspect." The second officer “saw the suspect pointing a black semi-automatic handgun at the downed officer” then “fired at the suspect to neutralize the threat against the downed officer.”" (emphasis mine)
So, apparently, the suspect was partially in custody but still a threat to the downed officer and that explains the 2 head shots. I predict there will be outrage, especially those on the left, saying that the officer executed the thug. I disagree, if the officer thought the thug was a danger to the downed officer, he was justified in killing the thug.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/25/police-report-outlines-events-shooting-metro-offic/
From the LVRJ: "Farias said she never saw the injured officer . She went to the hospital with her mother, whose condition had become worse after the chaos.
She returned to the house about 1 a.m. and spoke with a homicide investigator. It was at that point that she saw a new blood trail leading from the backyard all the way through her house to the driveway. Farias was told by police the blood trail belonged to an injured officer.
"It was a lot of blood. ... A pretty thick trail," she said.:
Once the officer was shot, the Metro officers took the officer through the home owner's house and probably to the street for treatment by the ambulance crew. The closest fire station is at Buffalo and Washington, about 1 mile away, so the ambulance probably got scene with 3-5 minutes after the incident was called into dispatch. I imagine this was pretty much a scoop and go, get the patient in the ambulance and work on the patient en route to the hospital. I would imagine the ambulance ride to the hospital was 10 minutes or less, especially with a police officer escort.
So, please, again, keep the officer in your prayers as he is still very sick and in critical condition.

Tea Party Express Rally In Searchlight NV.

Well, on Saturday, the Tea Party express will be visiting Searchlight NV for a rally to unseat Harry Reid. Thousands are expected for the rally, including Sarah Palin. The rally starts at 10:30 and will end at 2:30, where they will have a caravan to Henderson to hear Ann Coulter
I am not a Tea Party person, though I agree with most of their ideas. However, if you go, remember these few things:
First, Searchlight has only 800 residents. That means they don't have a lot facilities. They have a casino and only about 2 convenience stores. They may have 1 fast food restaurant in the casino, but that's about it. Plan on bringing a sack lunch to be on the safe side. You really are out in the middle of nowhere. Don't know how many port a potties they will have, but hopefully, it will be enough.
The road will be crowded, so you need to leave early and plan on leaving late.
Just a reminder, the rally is on Saturday, not Sunday as 1 TV station reported on Wednesday(Channel 8)
The weather will be cool, with a high of 64 but sunny. If you tend to sunburn easily, bring plenty of sun block.
So, if you are going, have fun, be patient and plan not having many facilities.

Gordie Brown Review

When you combine Rich Little and Weird Al Yankovic, you get Gordie Brown.
Me and the wonderful Cathy went to see Gordie Brown the other day. It was the end of a stressful day and so we hoped it would be a nice day to unwind.
Gordie Brown performs at the Golden Nugget, on Fremont St. It's one of better casinos on Fremont St.
The audience consisted of mostly older folks, 50+. The theater was about 2/3 full, so about 200 people were in attendance.
Brown is an impersonator of the legends of music, from the Rat Pack, to Raps stars and some newer acts. Some of his impersonations were spot on and some were not. He did parodies of songs but did sing a couple of songs they way they were originally done.
He also does comedy, especially concentrating on George Bush and Bill Clinton. He did one Obama joke.
There were a couple of problems with his show. There was constant feedback from the sound, you kept hearing a high pitch sound throughout the show. Also, if you do parodies, you need to be able to hear what the singer is saying and that was difficult because the music was so loud.
Brown has a 4 piece band and the guitar player is almost a dead ringer for Jay Leno, sans the earring and the chin.
It was disappointing that after the show, Brown did not meet his audience unlike most performers in Las Vegas, but apparently Brown must thinks he is too big to do meet the audience for 15 minutes after a show. We did get to talk the bass player, Andre, after the show because we met him on the elevator after the show and he was on his way to another gig on the Strip Andre is a real nice guy and we had a nice short conversation.
The show says that the material may be inappropriate for people under 16, but I think they should raise the age to 18-21. The F-word is used a lot and a lot of sexual innuendo.
Ticket prices start at $39.95 plus service fees and taxes, so you are looking at around $45 a ticket or so. Then it goes up from there, to $109.95. If you are going to pay $109+, you better get a steak and lobster dinner thrown in, it's just not worth $109 to see him, especially since the show lasts only an hour.
http://www.gordiebrown.com/index_flash.htm

Pawn Stars Need A New Agent

From Norm of the LVRJ: "It takes a lot to get a town to turn out to see reality TV stars, but that's what happened to the "Pawn Stars" on Saturday at the Lake of the Torches Resort in Lac du Flambeau, Wis. More than 3,000 people showed up at the casino to meet the stars of the History Channel hit: father Rick Harrison, son Corey and Corey's pal Chumlee, during their six-hour visit. The latest census shows Lac du Flambeau has 3,004 residents. ..."
http://www.lvrj.com/news/newton-defenses-finally-penetrated-88993687.html
I've been to the Lake of the Torches resort and been to Lac Du Flambeau many times. If you are going to visit the area the early Spring is the worst time to visit. During the Summer, it is beautiful, nice lakes, cool temps, great place to visit. During the winter, you can go snowmobiling or ice fish. In the Fall, the trees change their colors and are beautiful to look at. But during the early Spring, it cool, snow is melting, it's muddy out and the trees haven't begun to get their leaves.
So, maybe next time their agent books them an engagement, they may want look at nicer places. Hey, I hear Phoenix is a great time to visit in early August.

Ok, I Listened

A couple of people complained how the blog looks (well, 2 out over 17,000 visitors), so I am going to try something different and see how it goes.

Injured Officer Idenified, Thugs Have Criminal Record And Some People Are Idiots

The police officer shot last night has been identified as 31 year old Mike Madland. He has been on the force for 3 years. He is married and has children. While obviously his injuries are very serious, it could have been deadly because he was also shot in the chest, but his bullet proof vest stopped the bullet.
Officer Madland was shot in the leg, severing an artery and has undergone many surgeries. He probably lost a lot of blood at the scene because the femoral artery is a big artery and you can bleed out within minutes.
The thug shooter was killed by officer Madland's partner with 2 shots to the head. The thug's name is Damon Beal. His partner was arrested on scene and his name is Marvin Lee Wilson. Not surprisingly, both thugs have criminal records. Well, at least the community is safe from one thug from now on.
Here is Sheriff Doug Gillespie's news conference:

Finally, some people are just idiots based on comments in the LVRJ: Good!
The cop most likely lost control and started it.
Just another terrorist hiding behind the badge stirring up trouble.
Good Riddance!
Well thats a risk you take when becoming a police officer and when you chase down some one crazy with a gun don't be suprises. The chance of being killed comes with the job. People are upset but how do you think the family's of the people who the cops shot for no good reasons feel???? Idiots.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/on-duty-police-officer-wounded-88986802.html?numComments=146http://www.lvrj.com/news/officer-remains-in-critical-condition-89057487.htmlhttp://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/24/police-schedule-news-conference-discuss-officers-s/

Officer Update

Just a quick update. Scanning through the news, there is nothing new since late last night. But Channel 13 reports that officer may have had up to 3 surgeries after one of the officer's femoral artery was cut. It appears that the officer's injuries are life threatening and he still need s your prayers. Hopefully, no news is good news.

Update: Officer Shot, Thug Killed

From The LVRJ: "A Las Vegas police officer was shot multiple times Tuesday while chasing two suspects involved in a series of crimes earlier in the day, according to police.
One of the suspects was shot and killed during the pursuit. The patrol officer was transported to University Medical Center about 9:11 p.m. and taken into surgery, Las Vegas police said. The officer suffered "very serious, life-threatening" injuries, Capt. Randy Montandon said.
A second officer shot and killed the male suspect in the backyard of a residence near Rainbow Boulevard and Washington Avenue.
Montandon said the deceased suspect and a second male suspect stole a 1995 black Mercedes-Benz and tried to break into a house earlier Tuesday. The car was stolen in the morning. In the afternoon, a homeowner reported that two suspects who tried to break into his house had fled in a black Mercedes". http://www.lvrj.com/news/on-duty-police-officer-wounded-88986802.html
From Channel 13: The officer has been with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department for five to six years and was part of the saturation unit. He was shot in the leg and underwent two surgeries Tuesday night. His name is not being released. http://www.ktnv.com/global/story.asp?s=12193521
It's good a thug is permanently off the streets and his DNA is removed from the gene pool. Again, our prayers go out to the officer and he is very critically injured. The picture in the LVRJ show that the officer is being bagged with either an ambu bag or has been intubated. The fact that LVFD are doing the treatments instead of AMR also shows the urgency, though AMR did the transport. Prayers also go out to the officers of Metro who are involved in this case or are friends with this officer.

What A Strange Day

Well, I haven't many strange days lately, but this day was certainly one of them It's not a full moon, so I am not sure what it is.

First, I got the crap beat out of me by one of my students, someone who is quite small and is probably is less than 1/2 my size. But that is my job and it happens.

Then on the way to urgent care, came across a fire in an apartment building. Apparently a woman was pissed off and set her apartment on fire, along with other apartments. One apartment , not hers, was also destroyed and apparently about 10 kittens were killed. The people lost everything the had in their apartment. When I got there, the cops were leading a Hispanic woman away in handcuffs. The fire was by Sahara and Van Patten. See above photos.

Then, later in the evening, I was driving downtown and we were appoaching Bridger and 4th st. when we heard a crash and saw a Mercedes SUV skidding on it's top, after being hit by a car. Luckily, no one was injured, though I had to crawl inside the car to turn off the engine to make sure the SUV didn't catch on fire.

So, now it's bed time. It's been a hell of a day.

Breaking News: Metro Officer Shot

From the Las Vegas Sun: A Las Vegas police spokesman says an officer was wounded in a shooting while on duty and has been taken to a hospital.
Officer Marcus Martin says the officer was taken to University Medical Center Tuesday evening for treatment.
Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie says the officer was immediately taken in to surgery and was in serious condition.
Police say the officer fired his weapon during the incident, which took place near the corner of Rainbow Boulevard and Washington Avenue.
Gillespie says he has spoken with the officer's family. He says everyone is hoping for the best.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/23/police-las-vegas-officer-shot-sent-to-hospital/
Sounds very serious and our prayers go out to the officer and their family. the area of Washington and Rainbow is mostly a business area with ome bad areas close by.

Clark County Fire Department Out Of Control

As a former volunteer firefighter, it pains me to say this, but the Clark County Fire Department is out of control.
The CCFD primary mission is firefighting and ambulance service. The ambulance service responds to all 911ambulance calls along with a private ambulance. The private transports almost all of the 911 patients.
The fire suppression service consists of 42 stations with about 17 rural or non-Las Vegas Valley fire stations.
About 90% of the calls are for medical problems. In 2008, there were only 3515 fire incidents. http://fire.co.clark.nv.us/(S(2y1oeynkijmwfn45kswgrjbu))/Facts.aspx
This represents about 9 fire incidents a day and a fire incident may include a car fire or building fire or grass fire. 9 calls a day, divided by 29 paid fire stations is not a lot of fires. Then you add 3 shifts and you can see the average firefighter does not respond to very many fires a year. Hell, an average volunteer fire department in the Midwest responds to more fire calls than most firefighters do in Clark County and I am sure that is true throughout the country. When I was a volunteer fireman in Dunseith ND, I responded to more than 200 fires in 1 year, including up to 15 or more in 1 day during grass fire season.
Clearly, the average CCFD firefighter on an engine or truck is not overworked.
But yet, most firefighters make over $100,000 a year, with some battalion chiefs making over $300,000 or more. They use more sick leave than the average Clark County employee. There are charges that certain firefighters rig the system so they exchange sick days off and work the other person's days at time and a half. If true, these firefighters should be criminally charged for theft or misconduct in public office.
As far as ambulance calls, the paramedics are glorified first responders. With few exceptions, they do not transport the patient, instead leaving that for AMR and Medic West. I happened to witness a scene when a person was shot. The CCFD medic unit responded first and the medics wandered over to the car and did nothing until the Medic West ambulance arrived. The Medic West did a scoop and go. The man later died. The CCFD didn't do anything and Medic West did all the work.
So, what to do with fire department? It used to be, since 9-11 when 350+ firefighters died in the World Trade Center. firefighters were heroes but the firefighters, especially the unions took advantage of this. They got great pay packages and benefits. Great for them. But now, the economy sucks, especially in Clark County.
These are my suggestions. They need to cut down significantly on overtime. That's a no brainer. In education, they have substitute teachers and in the CCFD, there is no reason why they can't do the same. You can hire about 20 firefighters who are paid on call. If they work, they get paid and if they don't work, they don't get paid. They would be trained by CCFD and meet certain standards, like Firefighter 2 with additional training. They could also call on the volunteers who work in the rural stations. If a firefighter goes on vacation or calls in sick, a paid on call firefighter replaces them. Same with paramedics. There are many paramedics in the Valley who would be able and willing to fill in for CCFD paramedics if they call in. This eliminate time and a half for the full time firefighters.
If a Battalion Chief calls in, then they get a officer from field and replace the officer with a firefighter from the station and then the firefighter is replaced by a paid on call firefighter.
If implemented, this will reduce overtime significantly and reduce the costs of the CCFD.
Remember, the average CCFD firefighter doesn't respond to that many fires or car accidents or other non-medical emergencies. Most don't even respond to 1 or 2 non-medical calls a day. So, this plan could be easily be implemented.
But the CCFD is out of control now and it needs to face economic reality. They are not that busy to justify $100,000 a year salaries.

Pawn Stars March 22, 2010- Another Rerun

Well, look at the upcoming epeisodes tonight, it looks like they did a rerun from December 7, 2009. http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2009/12/pawn-stars-review-12-7-2009.html
I'll update it later.

Rory Reid Sees His Shadow And Proposes An Education Plan- Ho Hum

Today, Rory Reid introduced his education plan to the public today and I have to say, it is about as boring and unremarkable as Rory Reid.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/22/rory-reid-releases-nv-education-plan/
I've read the program and it is lacking in many ways.
First, as a special education teacher, Reid's plan mentions nothing about special education, even though the special education department is almost always one of the biggest departments in any school. Not one mention in his program and not one mention about getting funding from the federal government as they impose unfunded mandates and don't fund special education as promised.
2nd, there is no mention about educating illegal immigrants, even though that is a major expense in the school districts.
3rd, no mention of ELL programs- do they expand or keep them the same.
Most of the plan revolves around giving teachers and principals control of education in the schools. He rarely mentions the role that the administration does play. Yes, there are too many layers of bureaucracy, but the administration sets standards and makes sure that the important items are being taught.
By giving so much control to the principals and teachers can lead to many problems, first and foremost, it allows fad education programs into the curriculum. Remember New Math? No emphasis on spelling? Collaborative learning? All failures, but under Rory Reid's plan, these fads in education can make their way into the classroom.
Rory also wants to grade schools school districts on graduation rates and college placement. Alright, but no mention of graduates of going into the military. That apparently is not good enough for Rory Reid.
The strangest part of the report is this: Rory wants to increase testing while reducing testing? Sounds like he is for getting rid of proficiency exams.
"Use modern technology to reduce time spent on testing. Teachers and parents complain about the amount of school time spent on testing instead of learning. Currently, Nevada students are required to take four benchmark tests per year, plus the state’s Criterion Reference Tests, and writing tests in fifth grade, just to name a few. The state will continue to administer tests because of federal requirements or the need to monitor student and school performance. By using modern technology and focusing not just on standardized tests, but also on other measures of achievement, we will reduce the emphasis placed — and the time spent — on standardized tests" http://roryreid.com/system/files/4/original/Rory-EDGE_Plan.pdf Now, I don't have a problem with that getting rid of proficiency exams, but many other people will have a problem with the program.
Finally, the report says he will not raise taxes to do this. OK. Then how is he going to pay for all the extra costs. Oh, right, get donations from the private sector. Huh? In this economy. He wants to go nationwide in search of donations. Really? Why would a company or individual in New York or Wisconsin want to donate to Nevada schools when they can donate to their hometown schools.
They also think they can save hundreds of millions of dollars in administrative costs. Well, there is fat in the bureaucracy but not that much after this year, even less. Financing his plan is a fairy dream made out of fairy dust.
On the face of this proposal, it seems like a feel good idea but it will not be implemented. First, he will have strong opposition from his base- the teacher's union and also school districts.
So, Mr. Reid, go back to the drawing board. It's a start but you have a long way to go.
In regards to the Sun article, the Las Vegas is not allowing comments, so this was a political campaign advertisement for Reid. How pathetic of the Sun.

At Least There Is One Good Basketball Team In Wisconsin

Congratulations to U.W. Stevens Point men's basketball team for winning the Division 3 national championship. They defeated Williams (MA) 78-73.
"Capping a storybook run, the Pointers overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to knock off Williams (Mass.) College 78-73 at the Salem Civic Center on Saturday afternoon.
"This means everything," said Moses, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after scoring a team-high 20 points in the title game. "I did not want to end my career without winning a national championship."
With the victory, UW-Stevens Point adds its name to some of the most storied Division III men's basketball programs in the country.
Only two programs have more championships than the Pointers, who were tied with five other schools with a pair of titles." http://www.marshfieldnewsherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20100321&Category=MNH02&ArtNo=3210580&Ref=AR&located=WISINFO

I've taken several classes at U.W, Steven Points, so I can say I kind of a Pointer.
Well, at least the State of Wisconsin have 1 national champion this basketball season.

Too Bad The Badgers Didn't Want To Play Today

Well, the Wisconsin Badgers did not to play today and they were bounced from the NCAA tournament. Once I saw the score of 14-4, I knew the Badgers weren't going to win. Oh well, on to the the football season.

Exclusive: Brohaha At Dog Fancier's Park And Rory Reid Loses The Dog Owner's Vote

In a little over a week, a kennel club will take over Dog Fancier Park, off of the far east end of Flamingo Road. They will take over the entire park, for 4 straight days for 24 hours a day and there are a lot of pissed off people.

Dog Fancier Park, which is in Rory Reid's county commissioner's district, is a huge park that essentially run by volunteers. It is cleaned by volunteers and inmates from the jail and very little maintenance is needed to the park. The park is supported by all taxpayers of Clark County.

Several hundred dogs come to the park every day, especially in the warm weather and more on the weekend. And we pay County taxes.

The dog kennel club is going to lease the park for 4 days and nights, the sign has not been updated and no one except kennel club members will be allowed access to the park. (exact price is unknown, but is certainly less than $2000 for the 4 days)

I don't begrudge the kennel club for wanting to lease the park, but I have several questions. First, do they need the entire park? Dog Fancier Park has 5 large fenced areas. All are much bigger than a football field and the largest is probably a couple of acres.

Second, why do they need the park for the entire day, from 7AM to 11PM? Fact is, they don't.

And third, why is Clark County closing an entire park for 4 straight days? For me, that is unheard of. If I paid a couple of thousand of dollars, they would shut down Sunset Park or any other County Park for 4 days? Of course the wouldn't, so why now?

And even though Rory Reid has been contacted, why hasn't he intervened? Does he think it is no big deal? Or does he think it is ok for an organization to pay a few bucks and take over a County park for days and not allow several hundred people who pay County taxes to use the park.

Jokingly, several people have suggested releasing a crate of cats loose or throwing hamburger balls at the dogs. Others have suggested picketing or even getting an injunction. Whatever happens, there are a lot of pissed off people, who are voters and many of those people are not going to vote for Rory Reid.

Elections Have Consequences

Most conservatives are angry tonight at Democrats for passing the health care bill. While they have every right to be mad at the Democrats, they should also look in the mirror and start to blame themselves.
First, in the 2008 election, the GOP put up a horrific candidates, sans Palin for the election. John McCain? Weak and uninspiring Congressional candidates. Failure to get out the vote. The liberals took advantage of this and they won. We knew what Obama was going to do along with the congressional Democrats. It was no secret, but the GOP failed us.
So, now we will have socialized medicine, unless the law is overturned. The so-called pro-life Democrats will be sad when Obama either cancels his executive order regarding abortion or the executive order is overturned by the courts.
So, congratulations to the Democrats. You won this round. You will reap what you sow, which will probably an overwhelming beat down in November.

Oh My, What To Watch?

Well, they are voting on the health care bill. To me, it will only be interesting if they don't pass the bill. If they pass the the bill, lawsuits will follow and it will be up to the Supreme Court to decide and that may take up to a year.
So, I'm watching NASCAR, Deadliest Catch and NCAA basketball and I'll let everyone else debate, yell and scream about the bill.

Update: Wal-Mart Hoax

A 16 year old boy was arrested for saying over the intercom at a Wal-Mart that all people please leave the building.
"A 16-year-old boy who police said made an announcement at Walmart ordering all black people in a southern New Jersey store to leave was charged with harassment and bias intimidation, authorities said Saturday.
The boy, whose name is not being released because he is a juvenile, grabbed one of the courtesy phones at Walmart's Washington Township store Sunday evening and calmly announced: "Attention, Walmart customers: All black people, leave the store now," police said.
The teen was arrested Friday and released to the custody of his parents; police did not know whether he had a lawyer." http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_14719031
Wal-Mart changed the intercom system so this won't happen again and while I understand the reasoning, I think it will put the public in danger.
I assume that the phones on the sales floor will not be able to page. If this happens, store associates will not be able to page when there is a liquid spill (and it happens at least 10 time or more at my former store) in a timely fashion. It will also prevent associates to page when there is a medical emergency (Code White) or unruly patrons (Code 500).
I'm glad they found the punk who made this call and they punish him more than a slap on the wrist. I also hope the black ladies who were supposedly offended at Wal-Mart, so much so they are going to boycott Wal-Mart, that they grow up and realize that Wal-Mart was not at fault.

The Obama Curse Continues

Well, President Obama once again he is really a curse. Yesterday, the team that Obama picked to win the NCAA basketball tournament was bounced out in a huge upset by Northern Iowa. Then you take account the past few elections Obama has been involved- the Massachusetts senate race and the governorships of New Jersey and Virginia and you can see Obama is starting to be a curse like being on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Wait until November and we'll see what a real curse he is.

Ambulance Report On Michael Jackson's Death

I have only made 1 other post about Michael Jackson's death but I find this article interesting because it really shows what happens when a person calls 911 when a person is in full cardiac arrest. http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/761057/Damning-ambulance-report-that-could-put-stars-medic-behind-bars.html
Even though I was an EMT, I didn't really work with paramedics that much. I rode for a day with Chicago paramedics in 1996 and that was very interesting and we rescued 3 dead people, so to speak.
What I found interesting is that the paramedics try 2 rounds of drug treatments and look at your carbon dioxide readings before they declare a patient dead.
It also shows that some reporting about Jackson's death was false. For instance, initial reports stated that Murrary was doing CPR on Jackson's bed and that was false and also there was an IV already in place in Jackson's left leg. That is very unusual.
One other thing that is wrong about this article- Murray is also practicing in Las Vegas. Also, the reports there is a page 2 and no page 2 is mentioned in the article. So, you can't trust newspapers.

But the reason I bring this to your attention is more of a learning esperience, what EMS reports look like and the documention that is involved. As a former EMT for the Maple Bluff Fire Dept. by Madison, WI., I can relate. These reports are filled out thousands a time a day, throughout the United States by firefighter/paramedics, private ambulance crews and volunteer EMTs. These people respond to thousands of calls a day- some get paid, some don't, but they all try to do the best they can to treat a patient.

Where Is Rory Reid?

Rory Reid, a candidate for governor of Nevada has been very silent lately. He was absent during the special legislative session, he has been silent when it comes to Clark County's finances, even though they are ten's of millions in the hole. He has been very wimpy when it comes to contract negotiations with the County's unions. There have no advertisements. Meadow Gold has put him on milk boxes asking the public if they have seen this man (well, not really, but they should).
Clark County is facing a deficit of about $80 million or more and there has been no response from the County. CCSD and the City of Las Vegas have taken action, but the Clark County Commissioners have done nothing except being silent, for the most part and Rory Reid is the head of the commissioners.
So, has anybody seen Rory Reid?

I Wish I Saw This Coming

Northern Iowa pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history when they knocked off the #1 ranked Kansas JayHawks. Northern Iowa, the team that beat UNLV on Thursday beat Kansas 69-67. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=300792305
Well, I guess President Obama won't win in his office pool as he picked Kansas, as I also did. I wonder when the MSM will report on Obama's loss. I haven't seen it yet.
Anybody that bet that Northern Iowa would win outright would have won a ton of money. Of course they would have to be sprung out of the mental health ward for making the bet but...

Las Vegas Sun Accidently Tells The Truth

The Las Vegas Sun told the truth about the railroad projects for Las Vegas and I am sure the author of the article will be soon looking for a job.

"This benefits all of the members of the Building Trades Council and is exactly what workers need right now. In essence, high-speed fail will help get Southern Nevada’s economy back on track and we are proud to be a part of that process." (bold mine) This is a quote from Steve Ross, secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/19/harry-reid-no-one-stopping-maglev-train-proposal/

I am sure this quote will change soon or corrected, but the Sun did get it right, the proposed train systems will fail.

James Bulah Update

Here is an update on James Bulah, the homeowner who shot two thugs who were stealing from his truck.
From the Las Vegas Sun: Arrest reports were released today for one of the alleged thieves and for the homeowner who had the gun. The report indicates the two men were driving around while looking for items to steal.
James Bulah, 60, told police he heard noises outside his home in the 4500 block of Shannon Jean Court, which is near the intersection of Craig Road and Fifth St. at 5:49 a.m. Sunday and came out with a gun, firing at two men as they fled in their truck.
Both men were struck by gunfire before crashing into the brick wall less than a block away.
On Wednesday, Arturo Namez, 36, was jailed on one felony count of burglary to a motor vehicle and one gross misdemeanor count of possession of burglary tools after being released from University Medical Center, where he was taken after the shooting.
According to a North Las Vegas Police arrest report, an officer responded to UMC to interview Namez, where he was recovering from surgery. After being read his rights, he agreed to speak with the officer, the report said....In his interview with police, Namez said that before going to Bulah’s home, they had stolen a generator. A generator and a pair of bolt cutters were recovered from the wrecked truck, the report stated....Bulah’s wife told police their home had been broken into in the past and items have been stolen from their truck. She said they owned a rifle because their home kept getting broken into, the report stated.
Shortly before the shooting, the couple were asleep. They heard a noise and Bulah got up to investigate, she told police. She said she ran to the door and saw Bulah, who was outside, fire two shots, she told police. He came back inside the home and told his wife he thought he shot them, the report said.
Bulah told police he heard the noises outside his house, so he went to investigate. He grabbed his gun and went outside. He said he told the person to stop, and that he saw something in the person’s hands....The Clark County District Attorney’s office said it is still reviewing the case and has requested further information from North Las Vegas Police. Formal charges haven’t been filed against anyone involved. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/19/report-men-shot-homeowner-were-looking-items-steal/#comments
While I have not talked to James, I know people who have and it is quite clear James is very scared for his future. He is currently on paid administrative leave from CCSD. He knows that will cost thousands of dollars with an uncertain outcome. There is no legal defense fund yet but hopefully there will be one soon. All of this is understandable. He is also thankful no one was killed, which goes to James character.
I believe James when he said he saw something in a guys hand and that is probably why he fired.
It also shameful that none of thugs have been charged in this case yet. Why? The paper said no one has been formally charged? From early reports, it says James has been charged with several crimes. Maybe he hasn't been charged by the DA.
The paper says these thugs already burgled one house before trying to rob Jame's home. Clearly, these thugs are scum of the earth and not worthy of any sympathy whatsoever. They are selfish slobs who think they have the right to take things that are not theirs and ruin people's lives. Not only did effect James and his family, they also screwed over Jame's students at Desert Pines and put a planned field trip/competition in jeopardy. The thugs have no soul.
Please continue to pray for Jame's and his family's welfare. They need it.

Job Bill Passes, Wal-Mart Rejoices

The newest job bill has passed and soon will become law. The main incentive of the bill is that employers will won't have to pay social security on the new employee for 9 months or so. So, who benefits? Certainly not small business. If a small business needs to hire, they will because they actually need to hire the employee because of business reasons. But large businesses like Wal-Mart, who hire a lot of employees because a large turnover will be the biggest beneficiary. They won't hire more workers because of the law, but they will benefit and get a large tax break.
Who loses? An employee who is looking to change jobs or to better themselves. For instance, if I want to change jobs to better myself, I will be put at a disadvantage against someone who has been underemployed or unemployed. So, the federal government is taking sides on who is getting hired and that is wrong.
Thank you, federal government, you blew it again.

Disgraceful Call By Referee Against New Mexico State

I just got done watching the end of the Michigan State-New Mexico State. In the last 18 seconds, Michigan State was at the line with a 1 point lead. The shooter made the first and missed the second, but the referee on the baseline called a line violation on New Mexico State. It was a disgraceful call because line violations are rarely called but is one of the most broke rules, this was a real borderline call and the game was on the line. It was so disgraceful, all I could think of was that the ref was paid off. I don't have a dog in the fight, so I couldn't care who won, but it was a complete embarrassment to the NCAA for that call.
Was Tim Donaghy refereeing that game?

Wisconsin Wins It's First game In The NCAA Tournament

The Wsconsin Badgers, my alma mater, barely beat Wofford today, 53-49. The Badgers will play Cornell on Sunday, March 21. My prediction, Wisconsin wins by 8.

Would You Bet Your Life On Obama Care?

To those supporters of Obama Care, i just a simple question: Would you bet your life on the Obama Care deemed document that may pass on Sunday, to do all it says it does? Would you bet your savings account that Obama Care will do all it says it will do?
That's what you are asking everyone in this great Country to do, so would you bet your life or money on this bill?

Obama Revenge Against Fox News?

For some reason, I am unable to get into the Fox News web site. I bring it up and it says I am unable to see the site and then it goes blank. Is there evil forces afoot to keep people from going on Fox News tonight?

Cloud Nine Balloon Ride Ripped Up: Again

For the second time in two weeks, the Cloud Nine balloon ride, across the street from Mandalay Bay, was knocked out out of the sky. The balloon was on the ground and no riders were on board, so there were no injuries.
About 2 weeks ago, heavy winds caused a hard landing with passengers on board. This time, it looks like the balloon is very heavily damaged.
Not sure if they will rebuild or even if they will get permission to fly again.

Stupid Teacher And School News

From The Providence Journal: "A teacher at Central Falls High School has been disciplined after School Supt. Frances Gallo discovered a doll representing President Obama hanging upside down in effigy in the teacher’s third-floor classroom Monday afternoon. The doll wore a sign: “Fire CF teachers.”
“I was deeply saddened and, actually, quite horrified at the sight of it,” Gallo said.
After she found the 12-inch doll dangling from the whiteboard, Gallo contacted the state police who immediately came to the high school, took photographs and removed the doll. The police investigated and determined that the incident did not rise to the level of a hate crime, and no charges were filed against the teacher, said Lt. Steven Lefebvre."
First, the teacher was quite stupid for having an effigy of Obama in the classroom and it was even more stupid to have the Superintendent of the school to find it.
But it was also stupid of the superintendent to call the State Police. Hate crime? Like it or not, it is political speech and I would hope the superintendent would have realized that. It turns out that the teacher was given a letter of reprimand. So, from a hate crime with the cops involved to a letter of reprimand? Hmmm.
This is the school district where all the teachers have been fired and Obama gave his approval because the superintendent wanted the teachers to work a little extra to help a piss poor school to improve and the union said no, unless the teachers were paid more.
So, I think you have stupidity on both sides on this issue.