BARBWIRE by ANDREW BARBANO Pirate Laureate of the High Desert Outback of the American Dream

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This column settles an old score.

As a barely-thirteen high school freshman in 1959, I was forced to labor through The Age of Jackson by eminent historian and JFK confidante Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

I found out later that it wasn't worth the trouble.

According to my best history teacher at Fresno State, "Schlesinger Junior has written reams and reams analyzing Andrew Jackson but missed the point," lectured Dr. José C. Canales.

"With Jackson, everything was simply a personal reaction," the professor asserted.

Schlesinger droned endlessly on President Jackson's feud with Bank of the United States President Nicholas Biddle. Jackson killed the bank, depriving the U.S. economy of a critical institution for almost a century.

Philosophy had nothing to do with it, Dr. Canales said. The bank had once turned down a loan for Jackson's slave plantation and Old Hickory vowed to get even.

Setting the tone for his destructive presidency, Jackson's lowbrow and violent followers trashed the White House at his 1829 inauguration.

Does any of this remind you of a currently frontrunning presidential candidate?

Arnold Schwarzenegger provides a more recent warning. In his first term as California governor, he pushed a passel of teacher-bashing, pension-killing, union-busting ballot questions. He lost every one and served out his governorship neutered and ineffective when a recession-ridden state needed aggressive leadership.

History has warned 2016 voters.

MISSISSIPPI WEST AGAIN — I have recently criticized KNPB TV-5 boss Kurt Mische for blacking out the Feb. 11 Bernie Sanders/Hillary Clinton debate. Public Broadcasting System ombudsman Michael Getler has agreed with me.

Now comes this:

"Andrew, more detailed reporting, according to researchers here at PBS, indicates that every PBS member, with the exception of KNPB-Reno and Mississippi Public Broadcasting, carried the Democratic Debate. Some delayed it until 11 pm, and some put it on a multi-cast channel, or on only one channel if they are a dual licensee, but they did indeed deliver the program to their viewers in their market, PBS says. The Mississippi situation is still a bit hazy and further checking is going on. I was told that five very small stations didn't seem to have carried the Democratic Debate on February 11. When researchers looked up their locations, it turns out that they are all in Mississippi, and make up the state network of Mississippi Public Broadcasting. What's still being checked is whether they (MPB) chose not to carry the debate, or if this could be an error in the schedule information they provided to listings services." — PBS ombudsman Michael Getler 3-1-2016

We remain a retro southern state in very many respects.

ADIOS, LADY. A brief Reno Gazette-Journal obituary notes that a memorial service for Nancy Stanton will take place at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Sparks on March 21 at 2:00 p.m.

I'm still checking to verify that she's the Nancy who was the best RGJ sales exec with whom I ever had the pleasure of dealing back in my ad agency days.

May she rest in peace.

HADN'T OUGHTTA SAID THAT DEPT. Last week, I reported that Mrs. Clinton's campaign had trumpeted her victory in the "Virgina" (sic) primary. Oops.

Shortly thereafter came an announcement from Sen. Ruben Kihuen's congressional campaign touting his endorsement from "The League of Conversation Voters," quickly amended as the prestigious League of CONSERVATION Voters.

Alas, the correction was again headlined as support from them there talkative conversationalists.

I hope we can share a good laugh about this at the March 30 César Chávez event, where Kihuen, sponsor of the Nevada César Chávez Day Law, has been a frequent speaker.

UPDATE SENT MARCH 14 TO BARBWIRE CONFIDENTIAL/HUSHHUSH SUBSCRIBERS: Sen. Kihuen can't make the César thing this year. He's a bit busy in Gomorrah South with that congress thing.

¡HAIL, CÉSAR! Longtime Nevadan Rámon Chávez, César's nephew, goes before the Washoe County Commission March 15 to accept their annual César Chávez Day proclamation.

(Cesar? The ides of March? Where have I heard that before?)

Sen. Kihuen said he would be glad to accept the endorsement of the conversationalist lobby.

Mark your calendar for César Chávez Celebration XIV March 30 at Circus Circus-Reno. For information, contact me or go to CesarChavezNevada.com/

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)

The Underbelly of the News—>Subscribe to Barbwire Confidential

BARBWIRE WEB EXTRAS —> TOMORROW'S NEWS TODAY: FEEL UP YOUR FIRE METER. The Reno Gazette-Journal did big spreads on threeconsecutive Sundays (Sept. 14, Sept. 21 and Sept. 28, 2014) on NV Energy smart meter fires. Welcome aboard. Barbwire readers were two years ahead on the fire meter issue. (Touch a Smart Meter, Go to Jail — 11 October 2012)

FIRE METER UPDATES: THE NEVADA FIRE MARSHALL'S INVESTIGATION concluded "don't worry, be happy." I'm still worried and will continue fondling NVE's precious equipment —> If your smart meter feels very hot, not just from sunshine, call 911

In its Sunday 21 Dec. 2014 front page headline major story, the Reno Gazette-Journal published results of the NVEnergy-commissioned "don't worry, be happy" echo study. On 1-27-2015, the RGJ published an analysis based on veteran reporter Anjeanette Damon's review of more than 1,000 pages of documents. Barbwire bottom line: NVE handles this like auto manufacturers handle defects —> It's cheaper to pay legal settlements after people are injured or killed than to fix the problem.

Don'tcha worry 'bout a thing! If you can't trust your power company, whom can you trust?

Smoking guns: Rooftop solar assassination — NevadaLabor.com Energy War Room

DIDN'T THEY MAKE A MOVIE CALLED "THE INCREDIBLES"? On 2-6-2015, the RGJ reported that the Public Utilities Commission has ordered NVE to hire an independent laboratory to review the material.

UPDATE: The report said all is well. I still recommend feeling up your fire meter on a regular basis.

ANTE INTO THE GAME: Support the new season of Barbwire.TV by putting your money where my mouth is. A thousand thanks to those who keep sending show suggestions

  Stay tuned.

  I encourage you to donate to the cause at Barbwire.TV/ The medium that shapes public opinion needs at least one refuge where it is not filtered through the distorted green eye shades of prissy corporate accountants for whom profit is the only priority; where self-censorship is the journalist's normal work environment and where all sins of omission are tacitly encouraged and forgiven with the wave of a balance sheet. This is important. We've got a lot of work to do.

Get ahead of corporate-influenced news—>Subscribe to Barbwire Confidential.

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)

Andrew Barbano is a 47-year Nevadan, chair of the Nevada César Chávez Committee, producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration, first vice-president and political action chair of the Reno-Sparks NAACP, labor/consumer/civil rights advocate, member of Communications Workers of America Local 9413/AFL-CIO and editor of NevadaLabor.com and JoeNeal.org and DoctorLawyerWatch.com/ As always, his opinions are strictly his own. Check local listings for other Nevada cable systems. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us. Barbwire by Barbano has originated in the Sparks Tribune since 1988.

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Copyright © 1982-2016 Andrew Barbano

Andrew Barbano is a 47-year Nevadan, editor of NevadaLabor.com and JoeNeal.org; and former chair of the City of Reno's Citizens Cable Compliance Committee. He is producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration and serves as first vice-president, political action chair and webmaster of the Reno-Sparks NAACP. As always, his opinions are strictly his own. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us.

Barbwire by Barbano moved to Nevada's Daily Sparks Tribune on Aug. 12, 1988, and has originated in them parts ever since.
Whom to blame: How a hall-of-famer's hunch birthed the Barbwire in August of 1987
Tempus fugit.

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