Penny Press Nevada, USA

Volume 8 Number 19 JANUARY 27, 2011

THE PENNY PRESS,JANUARY 27, 2011 PAGE 2

www.pennypressnv.com Penny Press Logotype Pointedlymad licensed from: Rich Gast

Credits:

Publisher and Editor: Fred Weinberg

The Penny Press is published weekly by Ely Radio LLC All Contents © Penny Press 2011

Contributing Editors: Floyd Brown Al Thomas Doug French Chuck Muth John Getter Pat Choate Wyatt Cox

Letters to the Editor are encouraged. They should be sent to our offices at 335 W. 4th Street Winnemucca, NV 891445 They can also be emailed to: pennypresslv@ gmail.com No unsigned or unverifiable letters will be printed. 702-418-0433 Fax: 702-920-8215

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16 PAGES

VOLUME 8 NUMBER 19

JANUARY 27, 2011

Fear And Loathing With A Runny Nose By JOHN GETTER Contributing Editor

There is nothing quite so powerful as a load of fear and loathing to motivate the voters to look to a politician as their hero and protector. So, it comes as no surprise when Sheila Leslie, a Democrat from

Commentary Reno decides to kick the new year and new legislative term off pushing a real, uh, load. The very concerned Ms. Leslie knows that most Nevadans in possession of at least one eye and half a brain have a reasonable loathing of those “Meth Heads” we occasionally see in the news. They are usu-

ally looking very unattractive with messy hair, missing teeth, a blank stare and all the other things that go into an assumption that the person we see in the picture not only is a bad guy, but has tremendous body odor. Yep, we loathe those folks. And, when we hear of the sometimes uncontrolled violence and other crime that attends their addictions we are reasonably concerned about their impact on us and our society. Yep, we fear these folks. That’s why laws were changed to limit our ability to purchase common cold remedies in large quantities. It seems some of the basic ingredients that go into home-made methamphetamines comes from the same medicines that we use to treat a miserable cold. They are behind the counter. Buy a certain amount and show your ID and sign a form

so there is a record of the purchase. It may not sound like much, but this simple move has resulted in reducing the number of “Meth” cases in Nevada more than 90%. That makes it the most effective anti-illicit-drug campaign ever! But, it is not good enough for Sheila Leslie. No sir. She will not wait for it to work even better. She will not allow the scourge of ten cases, yes, I said 10 cases across the state to continue. So, into the breach rides our hero, pardon me for using the word that sounds like another bad thing, our heroine to save us from this fear and loathing. She now wants to make it even harder to get common cold remedies over-the-counter. I don’t know if it’s the druggies or the cops who come up with the cute little names for illicit activities,

but it seems there is an entrepreneurial business that has developed, as it usually does when there is money to be made, by people who go to stores and buy as much cold remedy as available. They do this at several stores and then supposedly sell the pile of Sudafed or whatever to those folks we fear and loathe. The name given this activity is “smurfing” for cold medicines. I have no idea what it has to do imaginary furry cartoon characters of the same name, perhaps because I have never used that much Nyquil at one sitting. Anyway, our heroine now wants to require us to get a doctor’s prescription to purchase what will be come FORMERLY-over-the-counter medications to relieve a cold. Yes sir. Got a runny nose? See the doc. The doctors say they sort of like the idea. Of course they do. More easy Continued on page4

The Conservative Weekly Voice Of Las Vegas Inside: We Can Learn From Sheriff Joe See Editorial Page 6

Penny Wisdom I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me. —Hunter S. Thompson

CHUCK MUTH FRED WEINBERG DOUG FRENCH AL THOMAS WYATT COX MATT BARBER PETS OF THE WEEK

PAGE 5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 PAGE 10 PAGE 11 PAGE 14 PAGE 15

THE PENNY PRESS,JANUARY 27, 2011 PAGE 4

Prescription Alka-Seltzer Cold Medicine? Plop Plop

Continued from page 3

business. The patients? They don’t matter. More on that in a moment. In the spirit of comity and all just getting along despite political differences, in the name of polite political discourse, may I inquire if this means my cold medicines will now be subsidized by my insurance or someone’s Medicare or Medicaid like my blood pressure pills? When I pay $4 for the formerly $10 product, who picks up the difference? When the doctor’s office is even more jammed up and I have to get into the waiting line at the Emergency Room to score some Alka Seltzer Plus, how do we absorb the economic and social impact of that? What do we do about concentrating even more people with minor colds in a way that will inevitably lead to a few coming down with pneumonia? I’m sure there are other questions, but I humbly and, in the spirit of kind and gentle discourse suggest these should be addressed.

Beyond that, let me say that I write this with a miserable cold. I had to go to three different stores just to find some medicines to get relief. I had to deal with closed pharmacy counters. I was miserable, and you know what? I was in a really bad mood when I started and got to the point where I was very pissed off before it was over. Then what? Then I read that some harebrained idiot want to make it tougher for me to find something otherwise harmless to help me feel better, to allow me to get some rest and to get back to work! What is she, nuts? Someone, please get this meddling, self-important nanny out of my life! Sorry. That’s the cold speaking. Maybe I can see my doctor to get something for it. He has an appointment open next week. John Getter is a Nevada based producer for ABC News

THE PENNY PRESS,JANUARY 27, 2011 PAGE 5

Commentary: Chuck Muth Liberal Heads Exploding All Over Nevada

Liberal heads were exploding all over the state after Republican Greg Brower, the man tapped by the Washoe County Commission to replace Sen. Bill Raggio (R) - who was a lock to vote to raise taxes and fees this upcoming legislative session - pledged support for Gov. Brian Sandoval and vowed not to vote to raise taxes or fees. “This is not the time to raise taxes,” the former state assemblyman told commissioners before they chose him as Raggio’s replacement

in Reno’s Senate District 3. “We must do the best we can to balance the budget with the revenue we have.” He reaffirmed his position later, telling the Reno Gazette-Journal that “he agrees with Gov. Brian Sandoval that the budget should be balanced without raising taxes,” and the Las Vegas Review-Journal that with unemployment at a record high, “Now is not the time to increase the tax burden on Nevadans.” So this guy must be one of those wild-eyed, no-new-taxes, tea party extremists we’ve heard so much about, right? Wrong. As a two-term Republican assemblyman back at the turn of the century, Brower was known as a pragmatic

moderate. So it must be driving the Left and Raggio Republicans nuts to see moderates such as Brower and Sandoval talking like hard-core right-wingers such as Chuck Muth and Grover Norquist. Brower’s pronouncements would also appear to take tax hikes in the 2011 session completely off the table. Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford needs three GOP votes to get the 2/3 super-majority necessary to raise taxes or fees. With Raggio likely came the votes of Sens. Dean Rhoads, Ben Kieckhefer and Joe Hardy. Without Raggio and without Brower, however, Horsford might now be able to only count on Rhoads, at best. But you never know. Sen. Brower has taken tax hikes off the table. GOP Sens. Barbara Cegavske, Elizabeth Halseth, Don Gustavson and Michael Roberson have also taken tax hikes off the table by signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. However, in addition to Sens. Rhoads, Kieckhefer and Hardy,

we don’t yet have a firm, no tax- or fee-hike commitment from Minority Leader Mike McGinness or Sen. James Settelmeyer. Which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. That every Republican legislator isn’t publicly full onboard in support of Gov. Sandoval on this issue is embarrassing. Are any of them really going to vote for higher taxes against the wishes of the Republican governor who RAN ON THIS ISSUE and position and was elected by an overwhelming majority of Nevada voters? And are any of them really going to then vote to override Gov. Sandoval’s veto. Seriously, somebody needs to get these GOP legislators with the program! And remember, “no” is not a four-letter word. CHUCK MUTH Chuck Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, a non-profit public policy grassroots advocacy organization. He may be reached at [email protected].

The Penny Press Tips Its Cap To: Northern Nevada’s two public broadcasters which have teamed up to create a website dedicated solely to coverage of regular and special sessions of the Nevada Legislature. SessionAccess.org is now live and will provide frequent, in-depth coverage and quick updates on developments from Carson City during the session. As long as they don't attempt to spin it liberal, this will be a great service. If it comes from Bill Moyers' point of view, they might as well quit with the press release. Madeleine Pickens, the wife of Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens and Elko County rancher who is trying to talk some sense in the BLM and stop them from moving 2,000 wild horses to the Midwest.

The Penny Press Sends A Bronx Cheer And A Bouquet of Weeds To: A coalition of construction industry groups which advocated for a tax increase to fund public works projects around Nevada to help put people back to work. What a bunch of morons and what a moronic idea. Let's build stuff we don't need with money we don't have to overpay people who can't get a real job because we no longer need their services. What a bunch of morons.

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OPINION

THE PENNY PRESS,JANUARY 27, 2011 PAGE 6

From The Publisher...

Even The Dems Can Learn From Sheriff Joe

We have some serious financial problems in Nevada.

rural departments?

The state and the counties are all facing serious revenue And what about education at all levels? shortfalls—some of them actually real even after all the smoke and mirror government accounting. Do you really think that you could not find volunteers to help teachers in the classroom? We have a modest suggestion, the source of which may not be appreciated by certain groups, but, nonetheless, it has Or even fully qualified teachers to teach specialty subjects? proven its value and cannot be overlooked. (I can just hear the organizers from AFCSME, SEIU and the Like him or hate him, Maricopa County (AZ) Sheriff Joe Nevada Education Association, now.) Arpaio has saved the taxpayers of that county millions and millions of dollars while increasing the level of services The fact is that Americans love to volunteer. with his Sheriff’s Posse—a non taxpayer-funded organization through which citizens contribute their services to the And the reason we will have to ram this idea through the County. legislature and many County Commissions and School Boards is two fold. The radio operators run a very sophisticated communications operation. First, it goes against the interests of the government employee unions which got Clark County Firefighters to $168,000 The K-9 specialists train their own dogs and volunteer to a year and use massive amounts of campaign contributions supplement K9 Officers. to keep getting people elected who will continue to feather their nests. There is a Jeep Posse which can send hundreds of well equipped vehicles anywhere for a variety of policing activi- And second, there is always a prevailing smugness by many ties. in government that somehow, they always know more than the citizens they purport to serve. In fact, a citizen who has a clean history can find many different ways in and around Phoenix, to volunteer and save Not Sheriff Joe! tax dollars all at the same time. His Posse is a raging success. You know who hates this idea? Here’s a non Sheriff Joe reason to consider this. Government employee unions. Like we should care. Some years ago, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission Our question is why should this idea be limited to law got some volunteer help from high dollar accounting firms enforcement? to audit the rate base of Southwestern Bell Telephone. They found pieces of equipment being included in the rate base Why can’t the State ask high dollar accounting firms to loan from the 1940s which had, of course, long been disposed of employees to the public utilities commission or the gaming and the result was a huge refund paid to the citizens by the commission to see if the state is getting its due from compa- company. nies who are always armed with more and better accounting help than the state has? If ours is truly a government of the people, by the people and for the people, then the people ought to be able to volCouldn’t the DMV use 40 or 50 extra volunteers at the offic- unteer to help the government and reduce the costs. es it can’t run? FRED WEINBERG Why can’t Clark County—instead of hiring more $168,000 a year firefighters—use some volunteers, the way it works in

THE PENNY PRESS,JANUARY 27, 2011 PAGE 7

Commentary: Doug French Connect Ideas, Don’t Protect Them Every day, virtually every minute, someone’s good idea is making your life better. You’re staring at one right now and later you will likely have a miniature version in your hand. Except, someone decided along the way that it could be part of a telephone, which of course used to be plugged into the wall, but was eventually freed to be carried about. Remember the phone Gordo Gecko called Bud Fox on, while walking on the beach at sunrise, telling Bud he would be rich, in the movie Wall Street back in 1987? As cutting edge as it was at the time, movie audiences hooted in laughter last year when in the opening scene of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Gecko collects a few personal belongings upon leaving jail, among them, that phone: a plastic brick with an antenna no less. You couldn’t make a butt call with one of those, for sure. Now of course, your phone fits in your palm, shoots pictures, and does most of the things your PC does. What you use everyday started out as good ideas. Good ideas are built upon by better ideas. And the results are not just felt in the abstract but become very real to millions. “Thoughts and ideas are not phantoms,” Ludwig von Mises wrote in Theory and History. “They are real things. Although intangible and immaterial, they are factors in bringing about changes in the realm of tangible and material things.” So where do these ideas come from, and how can we come up with more of them? What is the best environment for breeding ideas? That’s what Steven Johnson looks to find out in his book, Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation. Johnson starts his story wading in the emerald waters of the Indian Ocean with Charles Darwin, who groped around for an answer as to why an ecological cornucopia of animal life was thriving in the corral reefs. Next, Geoffrey West stumbles on to evidence that as cities grow in population creative output grows exponentially. And now the 10/10 rule has become 1/1: instead of it taking a decade to build a new platform and another decade for it to be accepted by the masses, that timeline has shrunk to a year and a year. Combining the three vignettes he opens the book with, Johnson looks to break out of the textbook way of analyzing innovations. Johnson doesn’t see breakthroughs coming from the single isolated mad scientist tinkering in his or her laboratory or the equivalent. “If there is a single maxim that runs through this book’s arguments,” writes Johnson early on, “it is that we are often better served by connecting ideas than we are by protecting them.” The author understands that “environments that build walls around good ideas tend to be less innovative in the long run than more open-ended environments.” Instead of the intellectual-monopoly world of guarding ideas with the goal of exploiting them for material gain, Johnson writes that ideas must “connect, fuse, recombine.” Indeed they do. Unfortunately, governments are standing in the way of all of this potential fusing and connecting, as Stephan Kinsella explains. “Copyright and patent keep getting worse. The Western countries are twisting the arms of emerging economies like China to adopt a draconian Western-style intellectual property. This ACTA treaty that is coming up is terrible. It probably will be passed and it will impose protections around the world similar to what we have in the United States in the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act).” So while governments are banding together to enforce their bad idea of keeping good ideas from mingling and blending, Johnson counters with seven patterns that could combine to be society’s idea petri dish. Along the way, the author tells fascinating stories of creation and genius and connects the dots of how one innovation led to another and another and so on to make

his points. While there is the occasional Willis Carrier who singlehandedly conceived of a way to reverse the process of heating to create cold air and make life bearable in many new parts of the world that previously were uninhabitable, many ideas are, as Johnson says, bricolage, “built out of that detritus,” he writes. “We take the ideas we’ve inherited or that we’ve stumbled across, and we jigger them together into some new shape.” So forget isolation; the adjacent possible and slow hunches are fostered in liquid networks. Platforms are built from serendipity, errors, and exaptation. When we think of innovation, the errors along the way are never known. The great creators are just envied if their discoveries make them wealthy. “You know I thought of that first,” says the wise guy at the end of the bar crying in his beer. If you’re the Winklevoss twins, you sue the creator and settle, and sue again, for an idea you couldn’t make happen but somebody else could. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg told Leslie Stahl on 60 Minutes that he had made numerous mistakes in building his company and product, illustrating a point made by William Stanley Jevons, that Johnson cites: “In all probability the errors of the great mind exceed in number those of the less vigorous one. Fertility of imagination and abundance of guesses at truth are among the first requisites of discovery; but the erroneous guesses must be many times as numerous as those that prove well founded.” The middle seven chapters of Where Good Ideas Come From abound with as much life as Darwin’s corral reef. Then the reader swims into the fourth quadrant. This quadrant is open source, collaborative, and efficient. Johnson cites Thomas Jefferson’s wonderful quote on ideas at length, including, “He who received an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.” “It is society that keeps [ideas] in chains,” writes the author. Then we turn the page. For 241 pages the author has beautifully made the case to abolish IP laws. Ideas make the world go around, and ideas must be free. But maybe that kind of talk doesn’t sell books at Barnes & Noble. “Does this mean we have to do away with intellectual property laws? Of course not,” writes Johnson, who goes on to admit he is sympathetic to the argument that “people simply deserve to profit from their good ideas,” because, after all, he makes his living selling books. Johnson essentially admits he can’t make an incentive argument for IP and rightly describes IP laws as “deliberate interventions crafted by human intelligence and are enforced almost entirely by non-market powers.” But he understands the inevitable. “Ideas are intrinsically copyable in the way that food and fuel are not.” Johnson has this sort of government-private sector fantasy in his head because the government funded the platform that is the Internet. He doesn’t think we should count on the competitive market for all good ideas. “Yes, the market has been a great engine of innovation,” he writes. “But so has the reef.” Surely, he can do better than that. Mr. Johnson gives us much to chew on and ends with personal advice to help tease the creativity from each of us. Despite his brief couple pages of IP support, he urges us to let others build on our ideas, to walk and write and keep messy journals, hang out in coffeehouses, cultivate hunches, take on hobbies and make mistakes. Mises wrote, “Everything that happens in the social world in our time is the result of ideas. Good things and bad things.” Rightly, we spend lots of time opposing the constant onslaught of bad ideas from government. At the same time we should encourage and champion the constant flow of the market’s good ideas for which the brutality and cruelty of governments are no match. DOUG FRENCH

THE PENNY PRESS,JANUARY 27, 2011 PAGE 8

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Commentary: Albert Thomas

Why Investors Buy At The Top And Sell At The Bottom It is a matter of psychology and has little to do with stock valuations. Whatever you have as an occupation or something else you do for a hobby you probably do well. At least well enough to keep your job or have fun with your hobby. That doesn’t include golf. (joke) You are confident about what you do. When I was an exchange member and floor trader I was known as a contrarian. When everyone was bullish I would be looking for the signal to sell. When the market was tanking I would be watching for a buying opportunity. At the end of the year I always had a nice profit by fading the crowd. They were always wrong. Why was the crowd always wrong? They wanted too much confirmation. When a stock or market is at or near its lowest prices before it starts up there is fear of greater loss. It is the uncertainty that keeps the average investor and broker from realizing this is the place to buy. The herd is afraid and their fears feed upon each other not allowing them to make an intelligent decision. I will not go into what the buy and sell signals are at this time. When the outcome of a situation is unclear, uncertain or unknown every person hesitates to take action. No one likes to walk into a dark room especially if he has not been there before. He fumbles for the light switch. When he can see where he is going he will advance.

That is why brokers send out all those beautiful 4 color packets of information about companies. They are allaying the buying fear of the investor. The more he thinks he knows the more likely he will part with his money to buy shares. When the market was on its lows in March of 2009 after the horrendous break in 2008 there were few buyers. Members of the herd had been slaughtered, others wounded. Those remaining were fearful and refused to buy anything until they had confidence the market was going up again. Today the little investor is buying. He is convinced the market is going higher and it is. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 5,000 points and looks like the bull market is back again. The herd is happy as lemmings running toward the cliff. The uncertainty has disappeared. Now is the time to buy. As a contrarian trader I am now watching for a place to sell and buy bear funds as I know there will be another market crash. When to do so has not yet shown. It will. The sheeple are about to be shorn again; the lemmings will go over the cliff. Those who are contrarian investors will make money as the market slides into oblivion. Have you become too confident? Too complacent? Be careful. These are dangerous times. AL THOMAS Al Thomas’ new book, “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy It!”, 3rd edition, Chapter Two shows in detail a method that made 400% during the 20002010 period with only 7 trades, no losses and paid no commission. Read the first chapter at www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he’s the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.

THE PENNY PRESS,JANUARY 27, 2011 PAGE 11

Commentary: Wyatt Cox They Love To Fail (Note: this column originally appeared in the February 22, 2007 edition of the Penny Press. Sad to say, not much has changed except the 5 year old is almost 10...) I was recently asked by one of my affiliate stations if I would consider restarting my old Dollar Sense radio show. I did this show for a couple of years on the old Sun Radio Network in the early 90’s and it was generally well received where it aired. The premise of the show was that there was s symbiotic relationship between Consumers and Businesses. They need one another to survive. We addressed the problems that consumers had with businesses, and the problems that Businesses had in dealing with consumers, specifically customer service and being effective. While I enjoyed helping listeners, resolve their consumer issues, I truly enjoyed helping businesses understand why consumers were upset. We would have guests who explained the dynamics of good customer service, how to answer phones in an effective manner, and how to deal with problem customer and the employees that create them. I’ve had far too many problems with the latter in the past few weeks to count. Just last week, in fact. I brought my wife home a single red rose to lift her spirits. She was delighted. I remember we had a bud vase at home, but between her cats and the 5 year old it was no longer. So where do you go to get a bud vase at midnight? Wal-Mart, of course! We hadn’t had dinner yet, and thinking we’d kill two birds with one stone, suggested that we eat at the all-night diner across the street. My wife blanched, reminding me of our last visit there, when we waited 30 minutes with no one else in the restaurant for someone to wait on us. When we were finally waited on with no apology or kindness, we left. My wife suggested, since we were already going to Wal-Mart, we could eat at the 24 hour McDonalds in the store. I grudgingly agreed, not knowing that by the time the evening was over, we would regret the decision. As we waited, the shift manager was taking orders. My wife flinched, saying the last time she was there he mixed up her order. I told her (in a voice probably too loud) “Don’t worry, I’ll speak slowly.” I ordered my wife’s fish filet sandwich with lettuce, onions, and tomato with fries and my cheeseburger plain. He then proceeded to thoroughly confuse the order. I patiently untangled his mess, paid for the order, and received no thank you, no acknowledgement at all! Five minutes went by, then ten minutes. There were no other orders, and I was wondering if the steer had to be killed and the fish caught, when our order finally came up. My double cheeseburger was fine. After all, how can you mess that up.? My wife’s order, though, was a different story. The French fries contained a pound of salt, the filet was not golden brown, but dark brown and could have been used as a brick, and the tomato was vintage 2002. The shift

manager argued, bickered, and eventually and grudgingly gave my wife a refund. We then went to Smiths, bought a frozen dinner, and went home. The sad part is, most people would say that these are minimum wage employees. But this was a shift manager, making well above minimum wage. His salary wasn’t the problem. I know that we have problems in my full time job hiring drug-free qualified employees without attitudes at any wage. I told this story on my radio show, pointing out that McDonalds spends millions of dollars a week convincing people to come into their restaurants, and that this one employee earned them eleven minutes of bad publicity on a nationally syndicated radio show. I further pointed out that for every Wyatt Cox that has a problem like mine, there are hundreds of thousands of people who have the same experience or worse, and walk away in disgust and will never go back. Who is to blame? Beats me. I could claim it’s the horrible employee, or his management who hasn’t made high level priority customer service a job requirement. Or it could be me for making the assumption that a billion dollar company might actually give a flip about the people who do business at their establishment. Or I could blame Society. But then, I’m not a liberal. Still, people seem to not give a damn these days about their jobs. Motivating people to do their best at work isn’t easy. I encounter that problem daily. And if I’m having that problem, how many other employers are? When I was younger, being out of work was something I feared. Being employed and doing a good job and getting promoted was always top of mind to me. For some reason it’s not anymore. I guess the bottom line is, people don’t care. Why should I? Because I was raised right. Because America is Excellence. Because I am an American. Because of that, I must excel. Too many people are not only NOT afraid to fail, they live for it, and fail themselves daily. Want proof? Watch Jerry Springer. WYATT COX

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Commentary: Matt Barber

When Metaphors Attack!

Guns don’t kill people, metaphors do. It’s true. Words have consequences. I tested it: Used a sports analogy just yesterday and a pick-up game of hoops broke out. This is liberal-think. Silly, isn’t it? Yes, words can have consequences. Except for when they don’t. As we soon learned – and as officially “not stupid” people already knew – the horrific shootings in Tucson on January 8 had exactly nothing to do with “tone,” “political discourse” or “incendiary rhetoric,” and had everything to do with mental illness, individual responsibility and raw evil. Not only did Jared Lee Loughner turn out not to be a Sarah Palin-loving, Tea Party-attending, “right-wing” talk radio hound; he ended-up a Bushhating, “lefty pot-head,” 9/11 “truther” whose favorite books included the Communist Manifesto and Mein Kampf. So does this mean that liberals are “accomplices to mass murder” due to their well-documented history of “dangerous political rhetoric”? Well, yes, if you apply liberal-think. No, if you apply reality.    Still, this hasn’t stopped the dinosaur media, left-wing politicos and bloggity-blah-blahs in PJs from using this tragedy to whip together a frothy mix of feigned indignation, slimy politicking and “progressive” puerility. In a not-so-thinly veiled effort to lay blame at the feet of all things – and all people – conservative, they’ve baked-up a steamy meme of “violent rhetoric” pie. It’s been ugly. That said, we’re now to the point where the left’s disgraceful political exploitation of this national tragedy has sunk to such low-rent absurdity that it’s worthy of little more than ridicule. Conservative pundits and mental health experts have broadly and effectively diagnosed, deconstructed and discredited this obtuse “blame-everyone-but-the-bad-guy” pablum to the point where reasonable America – left, right and center – has shared a collective eye-roll. It’s backfired magnificently.   Yet there are people, entire “news networks” in fact, who evidently believe that using metaphorical war imagery in the game of politics – something done since Eve first lobbied Adam to put the seat up – is likely to cause some nutcase to go postal (although I suppose that could be why Cain went-off on Abel). Take CNN, for instance: In a recent broadcast CNN anchor John King issued an immediate apology after a guest used, on air – and appropriately so

– the word “crosshairs” in a political discussion about the Chicago mayoral race. Said King: We were just having a discussion about the Chicago mayoral race. Just a moment ago, my friend Andy Shaw… used the term ‘in the crosshairs,’ in talking about the candidates out there. We’re trying- we’re trying to get away from that language. … We won’t always be perfect. So, hold us accountable when we don’t meet your standards. Alright, Mr. King, I’m holding you accountable. Where’s your apology apology? After all, when you begged forgiveness for airing the word “crosshairs,” you repeated the word “crosshairs.” Shouldn’t you have said “the CH word” or some other such nonsense? This is political correctness. Silly, isn’t it?  But apparently Republicans have also caught the PC bug.  While publicly addressing the now passed House version of the officially tagged “Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act,” they’ve dropped the words “job killing” and now use “job destroying.” Seriously, guys? Here’s an idea: Rather than capitulating to its dictates, perhaps the best way to “destroy” political correctness is to place it in your “cross-hairs” (um, metaphorically) and then “pull the trigger” (er, figuratively). Political correctness is a barrier to truth and honest debate. It’s the soft-sell, beat-around-the-bush catalyst for our escalating American wussification. We’re now lectured by the left as ironically as possible that it’s “insensitive” to use such war imagery and “incendiary rhetoric” in political discourse. Well, Nancy-boy, life’s insensitive. Truth’s insensitive. Politics are insensitive. This isn’t badminton. We’re at war, here. It’s a war for our culture – a war of ideas. It’s a battle for the heart and soul of a still great nation. Conservatives, now’s not the time to play touchy-feely. It’s the time for a full-on, no-holds-barred, shock-and-awe frontal assault. Because when the good guys self-censor in the name of political correctness, the bad guys win.    I know its cliché, but guns don’t kill people. If they do, then my nine iron sucks at golf. Neither do metaphors kill people. No, evil people kill people. And if you think words are to blame, then brush your teeth.   MATT BARBER Matt Barber ([email protected]) is an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. He serves as Director of Cultural Affairs with Liberty Counsel.

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THE PENNY PRESS,JANUARY 27, 2011 PAGE 15

Pet Of The Week Adopt This Pet !

SAGE Call 702-672-7204

Sage was found wandering in the desert. This sweet, abandoned Doberman deserves a better life! She is a mature red and tan lady about 8 years old, but active, playful, full of life and wanting desperately to have a family. She is very social and gets along well with other dogs. She is spayed, up to date on all of her shots and microchipped. If you are interested in giving Sage a forever home, fill out an application.

STAR Call 702-672-7204

Star is a black and tan Doberman estimated to be about 1 year old. The high-energy cropped and docked female is very affectionate with people, good with children and gets along with other middle-sized to large female and male dogs but might need some special introductions with smaller canine companions. And this tall and slender beauty also prefers not to be around our

702-4180433

THE PENNY PRESS,JANUARY 27, 2011 PAGE 16

Northern Nevada

January 2011

Real Estate Guide

NOW AVAILABLE FREE ON NEWSSTANDS Winnemucca • Battle Mountain • Lovelock • Surrounding Areas