If anyone's interested:
From a couple of weeks ago (12/16/08)

From Christmas night....

How can I miss you if you don’t go away

 

Ely - Listeners are sad to hear that Bill O’Reilly is hanging up his headphones to devote all his attention to his Fox Television show and his web site.

To be honest, so am I.

I wasn’t expecting the former Inside Edition host to be such a good, solid radio host. I was expecting strident, partisan, boring radio.

You know, Sean Hannity radio.

But I was thoroughly surprised that O’Reilly’s “Radio Factor” was indeed, fair and balanced. Much more to the middle than Fox News, though light years to the right still of the Mainstream Media.

In fact, I think he comes across much better on radio than he does on TV. But, the money is in TV.

Who can blame someone for wanting to follow the money?

Still, I’ll miss him in the morning.

We have an interesting line-up here on the radio.

Dennis Miller has thoroughly surprised me with the exceptional quality of his show. He’s not afraid to show his conservatism but doesn’t lecture. He genuinely appears to have a good time with his daily three hours along with his liberal sidekick Sal. Together you get what I think is the most fun and entertaining talk show on the air today.

Lou Dobbs is, well, Lou Dobbs. That is not a bad thing. His “independent nation” continues to be frustrated by the strident partisanship of the Republicans and Democrats. The show filled with exceptional content highlighted by Dobbs’ ongoing frustration with the total disregard by both parties of constitutional and humanitarian propriety.

Bruce Williams is, well, Bruce Williams. He continues to be the logical Uncle on the radio. These days, though, Bruce isn’t just dispensing consumer advice, he’s also discussing political viewpoints, and not all the expected ones, either.

Former Rock Jock Joey Reynolds has what is perhaps the most fun show I’ve heard on the air for a very long time. I view his late night program from New York City as much less a show than a party. It’s truly fun listening.

Then there’s Hannity.

I’m sorry, but the strident partisanship of his show really annoys me.

His show has one basic position. All Republicans are right, and all Democrats are the devil.

That is wrong.

There are good Democrats (see Marcy Kaptur), and there ARE bad Republicans (See Duke Cunningham).

Unfortunately, Mr. Hannity doesn’t see it that way. That’s his right. But it isn’t right.

Our esteemed publisher, while very conservative, has a well developed sense of right and wrong. He calls out both parties equally when they screw up, which these days is most of the time.

Hannity isn’t a very good host or a very good entertainer. But I put up with him.

 

Wow.

The state’s in really deep trouble.

The sad part is, no one is very clear as to how bad the situation really is.

Our local school discrict is already planning to cut administration staff by 40%. And they are assured that isn’t going to be anywhere near enough.

They are anticipating a million dollar shortfall.

One of the ways that the district could raise more money is the same way that the city and White Pine County could become healthier is to broaden the economic base with the construction of the two “clean coal” power plants and the accompanying light industry that the plants would attract.

Instead, Harry Reid is trying to get the Great Basin National Park reclassified as a Class I Environmental park. That would shut down most industry in this county.

...and destroy what’s left of the state’s budget.

Funny, I always thought it would be California that would go bankrupt first. Now it may be neck and neck between Cali and Nevada.

Thanks Harry. Go back to Searchlight.

 

The latest from my Indian correspondent Sunaina is that Pakistan is apparently only paying lip service to working with India on the attacks. Here are excerpt from her dispatches on the subject.

 

“Pakistan has arrested chief of the militant outfit Jaish e Mohamed, Masood Azhar. US secretary of state calls this a positive step. However Pakistan will not hand over Azhar to India and there is also no talk of executing him. He has only been placed under house arrest. The JEM was founded in 1994. This is the group that was responsible for the terror attack at the Indian Parliament on Dec 13 2001.”

“India on Tuesday raised the Mumbai terror attack at the United Nations and demanded that the world body ban Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the front organization of Lashkar-e-Toiba(LeT) blamed for the carnage, and other such organisations and impose effective sanctions against them. Stressing that India has been target of terrorist attacks sponsored from across the border for the last two decades, India asserted that when terrorist groups are used to serve the political interest of States, a deadly combination emerges and a terror machine is created.”

“Pakistan Defence Minister has confirmed the arrest of LeT commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of Mumbai attacks. However Pakistan refuses to hand over the commander, stating that he will be tried in Pakistan, under the country's laws.”

More and more, it sure looks like Pakistan isn’t India’s friend. Nor is Pakistan our friend. I wonder if they have anyone else in Pakistan that we need to be watching out for....

 

Wyatt Cox

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside India’s “9-11”
<Note:  this story is edited from the version that was published in the December 4th Penny Press to add additional information and clarify information>
The violence that overtook Mumbai last week was not an isolated incident.  
In fact, it was just the latest in a series of events that have taken place in India over the last year.  
Much of the violence was obscured by our focusing on the Presidential circus.  
But according to an online acquaintance I’ve gotten a lot of information from inside India that the news media didn’t and won’t report.  And while it appears that the Indian government seems a bit adrift, the resolution of the people there are strong.  

Sunaina is a well educated, late 20’s professional Muslim woman living in India. I cannot provide any further identifying information out of fear of reprisals from radical Muslims and radical Hindu alike.   She has provided a number of reports for our radio program on what is going on inside India from the perspectives of those living there.  Here are some of her dispatches as I received them.  These dispatches have not been edited.

“26/11/08- Mumbai (aka Bombay) saw 10 seperate terror attacks on Wednesday night. 104 killed including 6 foreign nationals. Over 300 injured. The attacks occured at 2 five star hotels, a popular tourist restaurant, a crowded railway station, South Mumbai police headqtrs and a hospital among others. 25 terrorists came to Mumbai by sea(from Pakistan) armed with AK-47s, Kalshnikovs & hand grenades. They stormed theTaj and Oberoi/Trident hotels and opened fire. They also set off several bomb blasts in these hotels. The trend of attacking hospitals closest to the terror site continues.. Its like they want to be doubly sure that the wounded die without help!”


“The hotel guests had locked themselves inside their rooms after they rcd warning phonecalls from the management. some of them used sheets and curtains to escape from the windows. the others kept in touch with family and friends through cell phones.the staff of the Taj mahal hotel were outstanding and had amazing presence of mind. some guests who had stepped out for the night, were called up, briefed about the situation and asked not to return. several of the staff lost their lives while helping the guests to escape.”

“Some of our most renowned TV journalists stayed up for upto 48 hrs.. reporting the incident without rest or sleep. Burkha Dutt was visibly choked and this is a woman who has witnessed and reported on the Kargil war in Kashmir!a woman trapped inside her room kept in touch with her husband thru cell phone text msgs. the husband was outside the hotel with the press reporters. in her last text, she wrote 'the terrorists are inside my bathroom. i'm hiding under the bed'. that was her last msg.. and her husband knew that she had been killed!”

“This is not just about the 200-300 killed. It is the audacity of it all which has stunned the nation. these men managed to withstand the national security guard for over 50 hrs, surviving on just almonds and very little water. when the hostages asked the terrorist if he was not hungry, he said 'Allah will feed me in paradise'!! I was reading the interviews of 3 apprehended terrorists who were responsible for the 5 bomb blasts in Delhi (Sep '08), which killed 30 and injured over 100. one of them said "Allah willing, i will bomb the market where my mother buys her vegetables. She will become a martyr and Allah will grant her paradise"!!! The delhi attacks were perpetuated by Indian students”

“Spirit of Mumbai
The General Manager of the Taj Mahal Palace hotel lost his entire family that wednesday. he lost his wife and his two sons aged 14 and 15. But when Ratan Tata, the owner of the hotel went up to him and told him how sorry he was, this brave man said "Sir, we are going to beat this. We will build back the Taj to what it was". This man is determined to rebuild the Taj as a tribute to his dead family, to let the terrorists know that they had not won. THIS is the spirit of mumbai. an indian man's resilience is legendary. Wyatt, i hope you have a LOT of listeners bcoz I really want America to hear this!”

“Kamlesh is a wedding photographer who was hired to record a wedding reception at the Taj on 26th night. Kamlesh was rescued 16 hrs later. The waiter who rescued him was later shot dead by the terrorists. On 29th Nov, Kamlesh is now at a different wedding. He was booked a month ago, and he is keeping his committment. Life has to go on..!”

“The only terrorist caught alive has admitted to being a Pakistani, being trained by Pak based Lashkar-e-toiba and retired officials of the Pakistan army. He has been singing like a canary under police custody!! The 'Deccan Mujahideen' was probably just a cover or possibly an alias. It is not possible that a small or unknown group could have carried out an operation of this magnitude. The terrorists had been instructed to 'Kill till the last breath'. The idea was to create a sensation, strike terror and make waves in the international community by targetting foreign nationals.”

“The Indian foreign minister has NOT RULED OUT military strikes against Pakistan. He has said that every nation has a right to self-defence and protecting its territory. And that it isimpossible to carry on the peace process under these circumstances. ps: It is now being reported that the terrorists had been maintaining their high levels of energy (and mania!) by using cocaine and LSD”

“Several people from all over India have been tarvelling to Mumbai to visit and pay homage to the site of the attacks. There is a newmovement in the country via 'sms text msgs', urging people to gather in a peaceful and leaderless protest at the Gateway of India, Mumbai at 6pm on the 3rd of Dec, to protest against the attacks and fight for the security and protection of the common man.”

“If the Indian Govt does decide to go ahead with military strikes against Pakistan, needless to say, this would be an extremely volatile and dangerous situation. India and Pakistan are BOTH nuclear countries and until now, war was NOT an option for us. However the recent developments have changed the equation between both countries. Meanwhile the Pakistani Govt denies any direct involvement and promises to take action WHEN India provides concrete evidence of the Lashkar's involvement.”

“Pakistan has herself suffered at the hands of Islamic extremism when the JW Marriot hotel was bombed in Islamabad in September 2008. This attack killed 54 (including 15 foreign nationals) and injured over 250. The JW Marriot hotel in S.Jakarta, Indonesia was also bombed in August 2003 (killing 12 and injuring 150) , and the Al-Qaeda connection was well-established back then. As u can see, the HOTEL bombings are getting progressively more fatal.”

“In the meanwhile, political heads continue to roll in India. India's home minister Shivraj Patil has been fired by the ruling party. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharastra ( Mumbai is the capital of the state Maharastra ) have also been fired. Your previous report on media personel interfering in the action of police and security guards, and endangering their lives is indeed true. The terrorists could watch the police and commando action on TV from inside the hotel and were thus informed of the points of entry!”

“The Muslim Council of Mumbai released a press statement on Nov 30, on its decision to refuse burial of the bodies of the 9 terrorists killed during the Mumbai seige in the Mumbai Marine Lines Bada Cemetry. The council said it was trying to send a message to all cemeteries in India that none of the bodies should be buried in ANY cemetry on Indian soil. The influential Muslim Jama Masjid Trust, which runs the 7.5-acre graveyard, said it would not bury the gunmen because they were not true followers of Islam.”

“During the attacks one militant said that the gunmen had been sent to avenge the abuses committed against Muslims in Gujrat, India and Indian-controlled Kashmir. According to leaked details of the interrogation, he said that he and his fellow the terrorists were indoctrinated by being shown images of "atrocities on Muslims in India". There are seven other Muslim graveyards in Mumbai, but the Jama Masjid's influence means none of the others are likely to accept the bodies.”

“The entire nation is on guard. This is war now. Its my birthday this saturday and I was hoping to go out and party. But now my family wants me to stay indoors, since ANY city in India might be 'next on list' for these b*stards.”

“I had a quiet b'day. Boss got me a cake and gifts(YES, i work on saturdays too lol). There is a lot of anger among all Indians today. Most blame our politicians. I think the problem is more than just our politicians but with our system itself..”

“If u remember.. I had told u about how a lot of our cops were shot dead despite their 'bullet proof' jackets. Our firemen are brave and selfless but the fire dept could not collect enough water till 2 hours after the fire broke out in Taj(after the bomb blast). The cops at Mumbai's CST train station took on the terrorists and their AK-56s with their outdated World War II pistols!”


“This is'nt the first time that we have had a terror attack in our country (if u have been reading my blogs). and mumbai has seen several terror attacks since 1993. These terror attacks are always sponsored by the Pakistani govt. And now they have been brainwashing OUR youth in the name of religion. For awhile now, there has been speculation that bin Laden is in Pakistan. This episode has some of al-Qaeda's signature moves.. and is reminiscent of the fidayeen attacks in kashmir in the 90s. U get the connection now?? we have pointed this out to your govt several times but your govt has never taken us seriously. and time and again we have heard george bush refering to pakistan as 'an important ally in our fight against terrorism' D-OH!”

“Several Indians collected in a peaceful rally in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and New Delhi at 6pm, Dec 3. Since more and more educated and elite Muslims from India and Pakistan have been enrolling into the Jehadi wave, a lot of my muslim friends were wondering aloud ..about the repurcussions of these attacks. We wonder why anybody would give us a job now? Why would anyone rent us a place to stay?”

“However at the 6 pm rallies,Hindus and Muslims have come together holding various placards reading signs like 'Our politicians had divided us.These terrorists have now united us'. The Govt has been profiling Muslims, no doubt.I recently had to provide a 'proof of residence' and a xerox of my passport. But there has been no bullying or intimidation. These protest rallies were the idea of ONE blogger.. His friends sent out a chain of text msgs.. and the chain was carried thru various parts of India”

“I have five friends from Mumbai. Everyone has lost someone they know. 1 friend has lost several friends..people she grew up with. 1 of my boss's friends LIVES near the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and could hear the bomb blasts from where she was. While they were on the phone, my boss heard one blast in the background.. and secs later,it was on the news!”


“I wanted to say.. since some 15 foreigners were killed.. and since these men were specifically targetting americans, british and israelis.. i hope the world will now take our problems seriously. these men were highly intelligent, well-planned, well-trained, highly motivated, had a lot of money.. and absolutely FEARLESS! When a bunch of men are unafraid to die, believe that they are morally correct and this is their way to paradise.. it is impossible to control them”

“Our phenomenal growth and prosperity in the last 10 years seems to have made our enemies very envious. Mumbai is the financial capital of India and represents cosmopoliton India. 125 people are now dead and 24 hrs later, there are several who are still being held hostage. This is a picture of one of the suspected terrorists. Notice the Versace t-shirt?? More and more educated and wealthy Indian and Pakistani muslims are being brainwashed into the Jehadi terror wave. This is an alarming and disturbing trend. My boss did not want me to blog about this bcoz she fears that as an educated Indian muslim with computer skills and family in the middle-east, my blogs and mails might be supervised as well! OH GRRRREAT!!!”

“A fellow doctor and a good friend of mine called me today from Manipal, India. He happens to be a muslim. He got a phone call from the police at 7am today, asking him to show up at the station. He has no idea how they got his number or if this was a joke. When he got there, there were almost a 100 medical and engineering students from the colleges there- ALL muslims!! The police were polite and told everyone not to panic. But they took down everybody's address and phone numbers. And told them to be back tomorrow to get their pictures taken. "Just routine..", they reassured everyone.
AND SO IT BEGINS..............“

Her courage in simply corresponding with me being outweighted by her desire to inform America what is truly going on in India.  Her love of country is unquestionable, and I only hope that her fervor is not outweighed by the fact that she is Muslim.  That would be racism of the highest order.

Wyatt Cox

Auto dealers begging for help from Congress, media

 

While GM, Chrysler, and Ford were on Capital Hill, hat in hand, asking for a $25 billion bridge loan to keep them afloat, they are hedging their bets.

Like any good Political Action Committee, they are trying to stir up support among the general public.

Jeff Haley, president of the Radio Advertising Bureau, wrote in the online Radio Sales Today publication on Monday:

 

Dear Radio Colleagues:

As you know it is a challenging time for the auto industry. One of our great partners, General Motors, has reached out and asked for our help.

Below, please find a letter from Betsy Lazar, Executive Director, Advertising and Media Operations, General Motors.

I appreciate your giving this matter your attention.

Sincerely,

Jeff Haley
President and C.E.O., Radio Advertising Bureau



Dear Colleagues,

As an important partner of General Motors, you are probably well aware that the auto industry is at a crossroads. Companies that support millions of workers and families across the U.S. have been slammed by the worst economic downturn in 75 years. Particularly frustrating is that this crisis struck just at a time when these companies were successfully restructuring themselves and creating a new generation of cleaner, more efficient vehicles.

This progress, and the very existence of the U.S.-based auto industry, is threatened.

Discussions are now underway in Washington D.C. about government support for this vital industry through this downturn. We are asking for your support, too.

The U.S auto industry has been hit at every level by the global financial crisis. Carmakers can't get loans to complete their restructuring and put advanced technology vehicles into production. Customers can't get credit for new cars, and consumer confidence has plunged to an all-time low. Suppliers and dealers can't get loans for routine business needs.

This crisis caught the U.S. auto industry in the midst of a successful restructuring. Domestic carmakers have closed the productivity gap with their global competitors, and GM has closed the quality gap as well. New labor agreements are in place to make U.S. manufacturers' costs competitive with non-union transplant factories.

Since 2005, GM has taken a series of bold steps to restructure its business and reduce its structural cost. In fact, since 2005, GM has reduced structural cost in North America by over $9 billion. And more recently, GM has outlined plans to enhance its liquidity position by $20 billion through 2009. And, we've tightened our belt in hundreds of other ways, large and small – some of which you have felt too.

On the product front, we have introduced a series of award-winning products, including the Saturn Aura, Cadillac CTS, Chevy Malibu and Buick Enclave. Today, we have the most models that get an EPA-estimated 30 mpg or better on the highway, more vehicles capable of running on E85 ethanol than any other automaker and a wide variety of hybrids, one for every need. We are also testing the world's largest fleet of hydrogen-powered cars right now and are committed to building the Chevy Volt extended-range electric car in 2010.

However, faced with the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and the worst car sales since World War II, this hasn't been enough.

This current crisis knows no geographic boundaries. What happens to the U.S. auto industry also had an immediate impact on Main Street. U.S.-based car makers have 105 plants in 20 states, including California, Texas, Kansas, Louisiana and Maryland. They support 14,000 dealers across the country, and these dealers in turn employ 740,000 people, with a total payroll of $35 billion a year. The companies buy $156 billion in parts and services from suppliers in every state. The auto companies provide pensions for 775,000 and health care benefit for 2 million.

Because carmakers are so tightly woven into the fabric of the U.S. economy, the collapse of this industry would reach far beyond Detroit. The Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor predicts that a collapse of U.S.-based carmakers would lead to widespread failures of supplier companies, already pushed to the brink by the downturn, and this in turn would shut down the transplant factories owned by Toyota, Honda and other non-U.S. companies. Shockwaves through the economy would quickly put nearly 3 million people out of work. In the first year alone, personal income would drop by $150 billion, and tax and social security receipts would fall by more than $45 billion.

Faced with these risks to the well-being of millions of Americans, and to the U.S. economy as a whole, it is clear to us that government support is a sound investment in an important industry, and in America itself.

The Aura, CTS, Malibu and Enclave show that GM can compete with the best. Our aggressive restructuring and rapid global growth shows our commitment to reinventing our company. And the Chevy Volt and other advanced technology vehicles show our passion for being a leader in reinventing the automobile.

Please share this information with all of your employees and other stakeholders. We hope you will ask your legislators and other political leaders to support the U.S. auto industry through this critical transformation. It's easy and turnkey. Please take a minute to go to http://gmfactsandfiction.com to show your support and let your voice be heard.

To give you more context and the facts, below are links to some industry talking points and the study recently released by industry analyst, David Cole, with the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), entitled: "The Impact of the U.S. Economy of a Major Contraction of the Detroit Three Automakers."

Thank you for your time and support.

Respectfully,

Betsy Lazar
Executive Director, Advertising and Media Operations General Motors Corporation

 

Among the GM talking points was this chilling figure:

 

The collapse of the U.S.-based auto industry would be devastating. In just

the first year:12

o Direct, indirect and spin off employment would drop by 2.95 million people

o Personal income would drop by $150.7 billion

o Government transfer payments would increase by $14.3 billion

o Social security receipts would drop by $21.1 billion

o Personal income tax paid would drop by $24.7 billion

 

When you look at those numbers, no one can dispute that if those numbers are even one-third accurate, it is much cheaper to loan the money and pray.

But, Pat Choate made some very good points in a radio appearance with Lou Dobbs on Tuesday:

1) Keep the jobs here

2) Keep the production here

3) Require concessions from the unions, who are so far digging in their heels and saying they will make no concessions to keep their jobs. (By the way, how many union workers who used to work on the strip are wishing they had their jobs back....)

While I am not a fan of government involvement in business, we've already invested over $300 billion in bailing out Treasury Secretary Hank Paulsen's best buddies in the banking industry with no real impact on the economy. $25 billion to save nearly 3 million jobs is a price we can afford.

 

And while I'm a friend of the car industry, I'm truly offended at the recent attempt by the National Automobile Dealers Association to wheedle free dealer advertising out of the radio industry in the guise of a Public Service Announcement.

In a fax sent to radio stations, the NADA said in Part,

 

Help Us Help You: NADA Produces PSA Campaign Promoting “Best Time To Buy”

As you know, the new-car dealers in your area are a major source of advertising revenue for

radio stations and contribute millions in tax revenue to your local, state and national

economies. But the economic crisis has hit the automobile industry hard, leaving your local

dealers facing unprecedented challenges. It’s in everyone’s interest to help get the auto

industry back on Its feet. The sooner auto sales pick up, the sooner the auto Industry will be

in a position to resume robust product advertising. . .

Attached you will find a :30 audio PSA from the National Automobile Association (NADA).

NADA, along with your local new-car dealers, are asking for assistance with the insertion of

the PSA. The purpose of the PSA is to help stimulate auto sales and, most importantly, inform

the public that auto credit is available. Your efforts and consideration are greatly appreciated.

 

 

Now, if the PSA was a “Help your dealer help the economy” spot, I'd be sympathetic. But here's what the “PSA” says:

 

“In today's economic climate, you might think it's impossible to get credit to buy a car. We have news for you. In fact, financing is available, and there's never been a better time to buy a car or truck. Your local dealer has access to multiple sources of credit, and will work with you to find financing that meets your needs. You can find interest rates as low as zero percent, end of year savings, and rebates. Vehicle quality and fuel efficiency are the highest ever. NOW is the time to buy. A message form the National Automobile Dealers Association.”

 

I'm sorry. That's not a PSA. That's a commercial.

And my opinion is apparently shared by other broadcasters. Bruce Dierking, who owns six radio stations scattered across the Kansas-Nebraska border, says, “Isn’t it ironic that the NADA could even find my contact information in their request for public service time for the automobile industry? They certainly couldn’t find us when the advertising dollars from the manufacturers and dealer buying groups were distributed to the daily newspapers, television stations and sports sponsorships. We haven’t even picked up any crumbs from the table. I hope that those parties have greater sympathy for the cause than we do.”

 

In the past, I've supported the various public service efforts of NADA in child car safety and keeping flood damaged vehicles off car lots. While I'm sympathetic, I have a hard time supporting this...

 

Hometown America began, still salutes Vets

 

ELY - Some people still bug me as to why I left the glamorous Las Vegas lifestyle and moved to teeny-tiny Ely, where the town pretty much rolls up the sidewalks at 6pm and is all but shuttered by 10pm.

There’s something to be said for the quality of life here. It fits me.

You see, I was actually born in the town that created Veterans Day.

Heck, it’s official. The Kansas Legislature said so in 2003, the fiftieth anniversary of the holiday.

 

Al King, who was not a shoe store owner as reported in so many places, but was in fact a cobbler -- a shoe maker and shoe fixer back in the days when shoes were worth beign repaired -- felt that the World War II veterans were being excluded from celebrations of the then-Armistice Day celebration that noted the end of World War I - “The War to end all Wars” and began a movement to “upgrade”, if you will, Armistice Day to “All Veterans Day”.

How popular was the idea in the town? It seems that 90% of merchants and the school board voted to close down for the first celebration in 1953. The War Dads, American Legion and the VFW all got behind King and, along with then congressman Ed Rees of Emporia, pushed legislation through and it was signed into law by President Eisenhower in May of 1954. According to newspaper reports, that first celebration included church prayer services for peace, essay contests, a USO show, a parade with an aerial flyover, luncheon events at the local VFW and American Legion halls, a program by Civil War re-enactors, exhibit of military equipment, and parties, dinners and dances.

 

Susan Rathke of the Emporia Chamber of Commerce, which coordinates the now week-long celebration, verified that King was a cobbler who passed away in 1960, and also verified something else: that until the 50th anniversary of “All Veterans Day” approached, no one in Emporia gave a second thought to being the birthplace of Veterans Day. According to Rathke, it was just soemthing the town did. When someone pointed out the town’s place in history, the anniversary celebration was brought about. These days, something like being the birthplace of ANYTHING significant can help your tourism profile.

 

Rathke told me that their parade on Tuesday was cancelled to to threatening weather and the celebrations moved indoors. Standing room only. Then it was over to the American Legion for the Ham and Bean Feed. Vets and friends alike chatted, remembered, and enjoyed the hot coffee, hot food, and warm friendship.

 

Just about 27-thousand people lived in Emporia in 2000, with 13 structures on the National Register of Historic Places. When you drive through the town, you get that feeling of home.

That’s what brought me to Ely.

When I visit Economy Drug, it’s Young’s Rexall all over again.

When we eat at the Silver State Restaurant, it’s the Transport Inn all over again.

When we shop at Andersons Foodtown, it’s Zieglers IGA all over again.

To paraphrase our former president, it’s the people, stupid. They make the town.

Or to be more precise, they make the town - your home.

 

It seems that a Secret Service sergeant was busted on Saturday. Seems he was driving his Secret Service vehicle and was in full uniform, stopped and negotiated a deal with a lady of the evening. Only she wasn’t a lady of the evening. She was an undercover DC cop. Secret Service has put the officer on paid administrative leave pending both the DC and internal investigations.

I suspect the sergeant had other aspirations. Perhaps he wants to be a congressman. Except he was starting out one consitutent at a time.

 

 

 

 

Quick note:

I've been buried in minutia for the past two months. 

With luck, we'll be back to normal soon.

What a night.

White Pine County took a good long time to bring in the vote on Tuesday night. Not because the voter turnout was overwhelming, but because they had a problem with one single federal ballot that no one working the polls had ever seen. Apparently the Secretary of State’s office didn’t hurt themselves trying to get back with the county and tell them how to register the ballot.

So what should have been an easy time took probably an hour longer to resolve than it should have.

Mr Miller, I want my hour back.

All the time to get and report the vote, get it on our air before the local newspaper and the FM station that doesn’t know what local news is, and what do I get?

A phone call from an angry parent that their 18 year-old son who was cited for petty larceny in connection with a shoplifting incident was mentioned on our police blotter.

You just can’t win.

The election of Barack Obama means that there’s a whole new order of things.

For starters, the race card is now invalid.

How in the world can anyone claim that America is inherently racist when a man of African heritage is the PRESIDENT?

But you watch.

Even though he’s been the darling of the African-American community, by the time that this term is over with, he’ll be painted by other African-Americans as "not one of them" because he’s well off.

Meanwhile you’ll see Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson becoming increasingly irrelevant in the African-American community. Why should they be relevant? The president is African-American and he’s in a much higher office than either of them.

Finally, this may be the last hurrah of the two big parties.

If the American people have any common sense, they’ll be sending both parties packing.

I think the new congress and President will have about nine months to do something to get the economy moving. If they’re not able to make things happen, the public in all likelihood will turn their backs on the Democrats, and won’t make the mistake of electing this set of Republicans again.

So what’s next?

If the economy doesn’t turn around, the American people may finally be ready for a new third party.

The question is who?

Ralph Nader couldn’t get a lick of mainstream press this time around and was relegated to guest appearances in podcasts and vlogs on the Internet.

Bob Barr made a big splash up front and then disappeared off the radar screen. I expected a much better campaign from him and from Russ Verney. But the, they were the Libertarians. I haven’t seen any kind of effective campaign run by that party ever.

The Independent American Party means well, but they’re far too far to the right to ever win an election.

Same for the Green Party. Way too far to the left. And any party that would nominate Cynthia McKinney….well….

Ross Perot is sadly too old to be able to run an effective campaign…which is sad.

Jesse Ventura is just too tied up in self promotion to be able to run an effective campaign. He doesn’t get good marks on the report card where it says "works well and plays well with others"…

Where’s Diogenes when you need him?

To my friends in Las Vegas: I wish you the best.

My wager is that the election of Barack Obama will not help your economy.

The desire of Obama to jump onto the "Global Warming" train will no doubt send fuel prices spiraling upward. Combine that with his desire to tax business to death and you’ll see how your incoming traffic is heading south faster than the undocumented immigrant population self-deporting since THEIR jobs are drying up, too!

Will the last one out turn out the lights? Soon, please???

Wyatt Cox

Apartments on the road to closure?

Denial is not a river in Egypt...

But to the folks at CCC&R Holdings, who own Charleston Pines Apartments, they can't escape their own form of denial.

Two weeks ago in this space we told you about the ongoing problems at the complex on East Charleston near Nellis, not only from the media's perspective, but from those who live there. I only scratched the surface and was going to leave it at that...until a letter to the tenants came out last week following our article's publication.

Dear Tenant:

I am writing to let you know that we are planning to begin extensive renovations at Charleston Pines by the end of this month. These renovations will include an upgrade of the exterior of all buildings at the property.

Translation: they're painting the dump.

Many of you have expressed concern about rumors that the property will be shut down. These rumors are false.

Rumors? The complex has a deadline (believed to be September 1) to effect repairs to the sewer system on property. Once a month or more we wake up to the aroma of raw sewage and the sight of same strewn across the parking lot. The city's also not too happy that a burned out apartment still hasn't been rehabbed months after the fire, and that it took the sight of a videographer shooting on property to get the windows of that apartment boarded up and covers installed on the cable and telephone wiring outlets.

The owner will exercise any and all legal rights necessary to ensure that the residents of Charleston Pines do not lose their homes.

...if they would exercise the same energy on fixing the place....

Oh, and if the city shuts the complex down, the residents won't lose their homes, just where they're living currently. CCC&R Holdings would be obligated to relocate these people whose leases they have to honor.

In the meantime, the owner is working closely with the city to address any maintenance problems. If you would like to report a maintenance problem, then please stop by the management office to fill out a work order.

We did. It still took ten days to get water leaks addressed. They brought out a plumber once to address the issue, then when the problem reoccurred, the complex's own maintenance replaced a huge section of pipe. Oh, after they opened the wall, they took three weeks to repair one section of the wall -- and did a horrible job -- and still haven't repaired a section under the kitchen sink!

I appreciate your patience as my maintenance staff and I continue our efforts to improve Charleston Pines. Improving this property is important to me. Charleston Pines is not only my job, but also my home.

Sincerely,

Ricardo Morales

Property Manager.

I hope the folks at CCC&R Holdings have checked out the Strip Hotel. Similar problems occurred at this weekly rental property just north of Wyoming and the city shut it down!

Oh, the pools have finally been drained! I guess the inch of green slime on top of the water and the stench convinced the management to finally give up. I felt bad for the maintenance people who spent a day engaged in scraping, shoveling, and spraying to get the remnants out of the pool. I assume it was as pleasant for them to do as it was for us to watch.

In a way I'm thrilled to be out of this complex at the end of the month. And I'll hate to see the poorer working class folks who'll be out of a home. On the other hand, there are a number of people who've chosen to make my family's discomfort their pleasure. I'll miss them getting their walking papers. Living well indeed IS the best revenge.

Sleep. Love it.

Bubba Brown is finally out of school and enjoying his summer vacation.

All two weeks of it.

Moving from a year round school to a nine-month school will no doubt be a culture shock for the little man. But he sure does feel like school never ends, with two weeks off here and two weeks off there. Come to think of it, it's almost the same here.

I know there are kids everywhere who will make fun of a kid who's different. He was roundly chastised here because we raised him to be polite and friendly. The girls love him for that, but the boys hate him, particularly since the teachers keep making an example out of him as a good kid. He has been accosted once in school and twice on the apartment grounds. To their credit, the school principal did her part to put the kids on notice, but the apartment complex, well....

If you had told me six months ago that the newest world flashpoint would be the republic of Georgia, I would have said you were crazy. Color me wrong.

The president made the right move on Monday putting Russia on notice that it's actions were totally out of line in the 21st century. (I am concerned, though, how many people are going to come back to us and say, hey, what about Iraq?) Is it just me, or have we once again gone back to the future and the old Soviet Union is reincarnated in Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Watch for the shoe....

Wyatt Cox only wants the world to live in perfect harmony. But no Coke, only sweet tea. Indulge at rant.wyattcox.net

Paris Pwns McCain, Obama

The huge flap over John McCain's involvement of Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton in a campaign ad attacking Barack Obama over his celebrity has drawn fire from - get this - Paris Hilton!

In a video that appeared exclusively on the humor site funnyordie.com, Hilton shows that she is either an excellent actress or a pretty thoughtful person, depending on whether she actually wrote the script or was just reading someone else's words.

The video opens like the McCain ad with a view of a packed Capital mall and images of McCain, the Golden Girls, the Crypt Keeper, Larry King, and the Colonel Sanders logo from KFC. The announcer proclaims, “He's the oldest celebrity in the world. Like, super old. Old enough to remember when Dancing was a sin and beer was served in a bucket. But....is he ready to lead?”

Cut to Paris Hilton poolside in a chaise lounge reading a copy of Conte Nast Traveler.

“Hey, America. I'm Paris Hilton, and I'm a celebrity too. Only I'm not from the olden days, and I'm not promising change like that other guy. I'm just hot. But then that wrinkly white haired guy used me in his campaign ad, which I guess means I'm running for president. So thanks for the endorsement, white haired dude, and I want America to know that I'm, like, totally ready to lead. And now I want to present my energy policy program now...just as soon as I finish reading this article on where I can fly to get the best tan.”

Paris turns to read the magazine, and after ten seconds says, "Oh, Maui. Love it."

"So here's my energy policy. Barack wants to focus on new technologies to cut foreign oil dependency, and McCain wants offshore drilling. Well, why don't we do a hybrid of both candidate's ideas. We can do limited offshore drilling with strict environmental oversight, while creating tax incentives to get Detroit making hybrid and electric cars. That way the offshore drilling carries us until the new technologies kick in which will create new jobs and energy independence. Energy crisis solved."

"I'll see you at the debates, bitches. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm have to go pick out a vice president. I'm thinking Rhianna. I'll see you at the White House. Oh, and I might paint it pink. I hope that's cool with you guys. Bye! (blows kiss)"

That's followed by the typical closing shot of Paris (with her dog" trying to look all dignified and statesman-like and the voice over saying, "I'm Paris Hilton and I approved this message because it's totally hot."

Serious props to funnyordie.com for a funny piece of work. I only have two comments.

First, the piece marginalizes the campaigns of both McCain and Obama. The public perception of Paris Hilton as a vapid, shallow airhead being able to counter both campaigns so easily makes both camps look like the lunkheaded fools that they are.

Second, Paris (or whoever wrote her script) did something on a national stage that I never thought would happen. Bluntly, she stole my platform! For months I've advocated virtually the same thing -- limited drilling while pushing the hell out of alternative energy.

Now, thanks to Paris Hilton, the most logical energy program ever has the widest exposure it will ever have. Ironically, the espousing of the program by Paris may doom it to failure.

Or not.

After all, it is totally hot.

Wyatt Cox is only hot when it's 110 outside...and even then....

Totally hit him up, dude, at rant.wyattcox.net

In a recent column I commented on a KVBC report by Mitch Truswell entitled “Who's responsible for Las Vegas's worst slums?” At the time I restricted my commentary on the column to an “Attaboy” for a very strong piece.

Given that my family is leaving Las Vegas in the next 30 days, I think I can now tell, as Mr. Harvey says, “The Rest of the Story”....

My family moved into this complex in 2001 shortly after the birth of Bubba Brown. We did so because of the owner, who lived on property and seriously worked on making this a family property. To quote my wife, he “had done so much to improve and make this place a really wonderful place to call "home". He had kicked out all the pimps, prostitutes, dealers, junkies and gang-bangers that had made it a horror to live in.”

Someone came to him in 2004 with an offer he couldn't refuse. The Asian family, operating under the business name “CCC&R Holdings LLC”, has never, to our knowledge, ever set foot on the property.

Here's what she wrote in a posted review on apartmentreviews.net:

They took out the playground equipment and put up signs that said no bikes, rollerskates, in-line skates or skateboards were allowed when this is a family heavy complex. The grass was removed and cheap gravel put in instead.(Wyatt's note: It was an attempt to qualify for a xeriscape credit from the Southern Nevada Water Authority, but poorly done!) Constant flooding has attracted mold and bugs and caused constant infestation for both. Things break and do not get fixed, unless you threaten legal action and then it is fixed as cheaply as possible and then they act all surprised when it is broken again in no time. We have two swimming pools, but they aren't allowed to be open because the new owners won't put out the money to properly care for them. Neither of our laundry rooms are open and they won't give a reason why, just have them locked up tightly. Twice in the last 90 days the sewage system has, literally, exploded and the first time it was left to sit for several days before the health department was called. They were warned to replace the pipes, which are too small and cheaply made, or else they would be shut down because it is a health hazard! It exploded, for the second time, yesterday and the health department is threatening to shut this complex down...permanently! Our complex has been featured twice on the local news, once for health department violations for swimming pools (KLAS-8 7/5/08) and as an expose on slum lords (KVBC-3 5/12/08)! The only good manager we have had, since these owners took over, and they fired her because the news asked her about an apartment that burnt but had people still living in the apartment below...with small children. She told them she couldn't talk to them but told them to call the owners...they fired her for that and that is shady!

That's right. The best manager that was trying to keep the peace and make a difference gets fired for the bad business practices of the owners.

But wait, it gets worse.

Not a week goes by without Metro being on the property at least three days during the week. To say that the new owners haven't followed the standards set by the previous owner would be laughably minor. The mix of formerly middle-class families has been replaced by mostly minority and lower income individuals, many of which are of questionable legal status.

Prior to the writing of this column, our family has been harassed and threatened on numerous occasions by certain individuals in the complex who take a great deal of pleasure in annoying Caucasian persons. Honestly, if our move to Northern Nevada hadn't been put off until the end of school, we would have moved out of here months ago.

CCC&R Holdings thought they were getting a bargain when they dropped $8.65 million dollars on this property in 2004. They weren't counting on what still needed to be done to Charleston Pines. The massive sewer and water problems are rumored to have culminated in a September 1 deadline from the Health Department to cure the sewer problems or else. Now, unless they make major property improvements in the next few weeks, they may lose the only thing that keeps their property afloat: their tenants.

I sincerely hope that the health department hands Richard Hu and his family their ass in a sling and shows them what happens to slumlords in Las Vegas.

Hanging would be too good for him. He should be forced to live here. Funny how in the good apartment complexes, the owners many times do live there.

A note in the Ely Times about shortages at their local food bank prompted me to write this note.

We're all having problems making our paychecks go far enough these days. Think about those people who have been just scraping by but are having to make do with less because of higher prices or, worse, have been laid off by the slump in the gaming industry.

I've sent an extra $20 this week to the Salvation Army and Catholic Charitiesfor assistance. If you could do the same, or send money to others such as Deseret Industries, the Community Food Bank, or other organizations, they sure could use it about now.

We sure could use a little good Karma these days!

Wyatt Cox believes that Karma can come back to bite you in the ass unless you do the right thing. The right thing is to check out rant.wyattcox.net and find links to accompany the story!