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

Barbwire Archives

May the nation's second woman president rest in peace.

Nancy Reagan had a harder job than Edith Bolling Wilson. With Woodrow Wilson's press secretary Joe Tumulty, Mrs. Wilson limited access to the disabled president from his 1919 stroke until the end of his term in 1921.

Historians have long decried Mrs. Wilson's relaying "decisions" from the stricken president's sickbed without any verification as to whether or not he had issued them.

Mrs. Reagan had to maintain the façade that President Reagan remained in full command of his faculties, doubts about which began with his 1984 debate meltdown with challenger Walter Mondale.

The infamous video of Mrs. Reagan whispering lines to her forgetful husband was rebroadcast often after her death this week.

HELP WANTED, SPELLCHECKER. "CONGRATULATIONS!!! Andrew — Polls just closed on the East Coast, and already, we've won Virgina and Georgia."

Thus effused a March 2 e-mail from Hillary Clinton, reproduced verbatim. Exactly 37 minutes later, another arrived, modified only by addition of the letter "i."

Jake Highton would have removed two exclamation points, two commas and two caps. Me too, but neither of us is job hunting.

I pray for and fear for the health and career of the poor staffer who blew it.

GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE DEPT. In the Feb. 23 Barbwire, I reported my conversation with Titanic actress Frances Fisher, a Bernie Sanders supporter.

"Should Sanders lose, I fear that the young people he motivated will fall into the same abyss as the Baby Boomers after the Kennedy-King assassinations and largely drop out of politics," I noted.

No less than legendary consumer advocate Ralph Nader and killer Rolling Stone journalist Matt Taibbi have since agreed.

"Every four years, both parties become more corporatist," Nader stated on March 4, adding that "Sanders voters may not go back into the Democratic Party fold."

In his March 10 cover story, Taibbi growled "Every four years, some Democrat who's been a lifelong friend of labor runs...and... gets thrown over by national labor bosses in favor of some party lifer with his signature on a half-dozen job-exporting free-trade agreements."

The hillsides are littered with the bones of "it's my turn" candidates like Hubert Humphrey, John McCain and Robert Dole.

Hillary resembles that remark.

Campaigning in rural Nevada, Ms. Fisher found that Bernie is cool with "NRA cowboys" revolted by Hillary's candidacy. Donald Trump cracks the liberal base by appealing to such angry blue collar Democrats. Bernie can hold them, Hillary cannot. And two of five union members are already suicidal Republicans — dammit! (Barbwire Feb. 23)

Taibbi agrees with my Feb. 16 doomsday scenario: "King Trump. Brace yourselves America. It's really happening," Taibbi concludes.

How will Trump govern? The precedents are Andrew Jackson and Arnold Schwarzenneger. That's really bad. More soon.

HAIL, CÉSAR! On the Ides of March, longtime Nevadan Ramón Chávez will accept the Washoe County Commission's annual César Chávez Day proclamation on behalf of his family and late uncle.

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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