Teenager Noah Christiansen has been given a life sentence for making a phone call.

The McQueen High student committed a treasonous crime during last month's national school walkout for gun control: He called his congresscritter.

Arturo Garzon <arturo.garzon@mail.house.gov> answered the phone at Republican Mark Amodei's south Reno office. Mr. Christiansen said something along the line of imploring Arturo to tell his boss to "get off his... [insert obscene seven-letter gerundative colloquialism for common occurrence of sexual pleasure and/or occasional procreation] .. ass" and do something about gun violence.

Arturo is a very personable guy. He was patient and charming when I walked in with a cadre of Culinary Union and Reno-Sparks NAACP activists last year to lobby his boss on immigration.

Alas and alack, in the case of young Mr. Christiansen, Arturo did not prove so affable.

Mr. Garzon called the gestapo at McQueen and had Noah busted for the sin of making a phone call while on school grounds. (That's not a joke.)

Noah got a three-day suspension and was thus banned from an upcoming debate tournament. The American Civil Liberties Union threatened. Washoe County School Superintendent Traci Davis backed down. (I stand by my 2017 prediction that she will soon seek greener pastures.)

The ACLU couldn't wait to crow:

Amodei sat shiva. School district apparatchiks played three monkeys, asserting that discretion was the cheaper part of valor. So pretty-please leave us alone.

On March 24, I wrote the ACLU: "Has McQueen High student Noah Christiansen's record of suspension been expunged as far as possible? If he is ever interviewed for a high security clearance, military (heaven forefend) position or any other pursuit (e.g., a scholarship) and is asked 'have you ever been suspended for any reason?', what now constitutes a truthful answer? He might even lose a teaching position for having once been censured in high school.

"The yes/no checklist has no 'yes, but...' box. As Bill Maher once said, 'Americans don't do nuance.'

"Do you have a comment on WCSD's grudging relent, citing only legal expense without addressing justice? Are you writing a settlement that covers every possible base, e.g., if WCSD is ever asked if he was suspended, what will their answer be and how far can you push it? Is WCSD using a 'never give a inch' (sic) strategy to force a better settlement with Christiansen's family for a looming federal civil rights case? Have you any leverage with which to push back? Otherwise, you risk their faux budgetary bargain basement offer turning your announced victory into a stalemate — or worse.

"Major damage has already been done to this kid. Once something is up on the Internet, it is there forever.

"I'm trying to get a real-world handle on how such a situation will affect this young person's (or any other's) future.

"Do you know the party registration of the principal who hung Mr. Christiansen with the scarlet letter or that of anyone else in the hierarchy who concurred?

"I will print your answer in next week's Tribune, publish it at NevadaLabor.com et al., and read it at the César Chávez Day celebration.

"Finally, if you have contact information or can pass this along, I want to invite Mr. Christiansen and his family to be my guests at César Chávez XVI on March 31. Of course, I would like him to say a few words."

The ACLU has not responded.

Mr. Christiansen was otherwise engaged last Saturday evening with a Fox Noise Network interview. (Which means he is now in danger of vitriol from Czar Donaldov.)

However, Noah's mom, Stacie Lerma attended and addressed the crowd of movers and shakers gathered to celebrate the life of another man who wouldn't back down.

The fight will continue to fade the permanent stain on this young man's reputation and character.

¡Sí se puede!

Web Extras —> March 21 (Barbwire/César Chávez XVI Update) — On this date in 1806, Benito Juárez was born.
¡Viva Juárez!

March 31 — Jack Johnson, the first African-American world heavyweight champion, was born in Galveston, Texas, in 1878. So we celebrated the birthdays of two giants last Saturday night. Stay tuned for a full report.

IMPORTANT DATES: April TBA: Washoe County sheriff candidates forum sponsored by the Reno-Sparks NAACP, ACTIONN and other community organizations. Watch this space.

ANTE INTO THE GAME: Support the new season of Barbwire.TV by putting your money where my mouth is.

Metastatical Statisticals Trump FCC chair investigated for Sinclair ties TheVerge.com / 2-15-2018 Ready for Trump TV? Inside Sinclair Broadcasting’s Plot to Take Over Your Local News Its mix of terrorism alerts, right-wing commentary and “classic propaganda” could soon reach 3/4 of the US. By Andy Kroll/Mother Jones Oct.-Nov. 2017 How Sinclair Broadcasting puts a partisan tilt on trusted local news By William Brangham/ PBS NewsHour 10-10-2017 Top-down Democrats haven't learned By Dennis Myers / Reno News & Review 8-10-2017 More Faux than Fox? Corporate octopus Sinclair moves to dominate Nevada and U.S. television By Dennis Myers / Reno News & Review 8-3-2017

  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.

 

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"Media is the plural of mediocre." — Jimmy Breslin (1928-2017)

Last year's dark foreshadowings unfortunately became reality. I thus suggest inoculation by signing onto the HushHush! list at BallotBoxing.US/ It's cheap as well as enlightening entertainment. I suggest coming aboard now. Subscription prices go up soon. Thank you kindly for your support.

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

 

Andrew Barbano is a 49-year Nevadan, executive 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 BallotBoxing.US and SenJoeNeal.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 and received its 8th Nevada Press Association award and 5th first-place at the 30 Sept. 2017 NPA annual convention in Carson City. (That trophy and about six bucks will get you a Latte Mocha Cotsafracas Chingade at just about any Starbux worldwide, guaranteed.)

 

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