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

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In the late 1990s, northeastern Nevada State Sen. Dean Rhoads, R-Tuscarora, got tired of beating the same opponent twice each cycle. Only Republicans usually file in Elko County where Democrats are shot on sight.

Rhoads got the law changed so single-party elections could be settled in primaries.

Maddeningly, the most liberal Democrat became the first beneficiary. Sen. Joe Neal not only had the temerity to run against the casino slate for governor in 1998, but also tried to (gasp!) raise the world's lowest gambling industry tax. [1]

North Las Vegas is a Democratic stronghold so only Neal and two other D's filed in 2000. Thanks to Rhoads, Neal was re-elected in the primary with a majority of six — count 'em — SIX whole votes.

Last year, Republican Sen. James Settelmeyer, R-Minden, further narrowed the playing field with bi-partisan support. Now, if just two candidates file, the June primary winner is automatically installed without facing non-partisans and other pesky low-life voters in November.

Guinasso vs. Lisa Krasner and three other races are affected this year.

Top-gun lawyers have questioned the law's constitutionality.

WE DON'T NEED NO REGISTRATION. Former Tribunite Dennis Myers published a killer cover story in the April 7 Reno News & Review.

Myers noted that voter registration was originally a subterfuge to keep blacks from voting in the south and European immigrants from voting in the north. That means my Italian family, dammit!

He quoted former Nixon aide John Ehrlichman's admission that the war on drugs was a Nixon invention to harass and jail his worst enemies — war protestors and blacks.

Myers concludes that voter apathy is an imaginary problem which explains why increasing voter registration doesn't affect turnout when the disenfranchised are factored in.

Largely due to felony drug convictions, the blacklist has grown from two percent to 10 percent of the voting age public since 1972.

Myers will discuss this on Sam Shad's Nevada Newsmakers at noon, Thursday April 21 on KRNV TV-4. Get the statewide-run schedule at NevadaLabor.com/

AULD FRIENDS. All Nevada labor mourns the loss of longtime labor leader Kenny Groves, 51, who died April 11. The former chef and veteran letter carrier was elected by his union as a delegate to the Sparks-based Northern Nevada Central Labor Council/AFL-CIO. He was elevated by the council to the post of recording secretary.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, April 24 at Walton's/Ross-Burke, 2155 Kietzke Lane in Reno with potluck to follow.

Former University Regent Nancy Price advises that her husband, former Nevada Assemblymember Bob Price, D-North Las Vegas, can not only receive visitors but also flowers. The longtime Sparks resident has been hospitalized since November with maladies picked up in the hospital. The César Chávez NevadaLabor.com Hall of Famer was unable to attend last month's annual César celebration.

He was recently transferred to Tahoe Pacific South Meadows, located in Renown South Meadows at 10101 Double-R Blvd. (89521) Call him at (775) 326-6148.

Bob Price served almost three decades in the lower house. Bob and Nancy retired to Sparks years ago. He has been a member of Las Vegas IBEW Local 357/AFL-CIO for more than half a century. He helped build the showroom at the Las Vegas Hilton which was opened by Elvis Presley in 1969 and has the King's autograph on his old lunchbox to prove it. He chaired the Assembly Taxation Committee for many sessions and became legendary for his advocacy on behalf of the little guys.

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

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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

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  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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