The Nevada Observer

Vol. 7,  No. 18         July 15, 2010

Nevada's Online State News Journal -- Serving Informed Nevadans Since 2003

 

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Income Tax Day

"Americans are split on their overall opinion of the country's tax system: 49 percent say it's fair and 50 percent say it's unfair, according to the poll."

Poll: Most Americans say tax dollars are wasted (CNN)

Six in 10 Americans Expect Their Taxes to Increase (Gallup)

Americans Split on Whether Their Income Taxes Are Too High (Gallup)

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Latest Polls

Government Ethics and Corruption Edges Economy as Most Important Issue (Rasmussen Reports)

Deficit Concerns Rise, But Solutions Are Elusive (Pew Research)

34% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction (Rasmussen Reports)

Election 2012: Barack Obama 42%, Ron Paul 41% (Rasmussen Reports)

Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 45%, Democrats 36% (Rasmussen Reports)

Tea Party Activists Unveil 'Contract from America' (ABC)

Going Negative in November -- Can it Win for the GOP? (Pew Research)

AP-GfK Poll: Resistance to health care bill strong (Associated Press)

39% Say Supreme Court Too Liberal, 25% Too Conservative (Rasmussen Reports)

Gun Control Splits America (Pew Research)

Broad Public Support For Legalizing Medical Marijuana (Pew Research)

U.S. Birth Rate Decline Linked to Recession (Pew Research)

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April 1, 2010

All Fools' Day

To scientists, laughter is no joke — it's serious (Associated Press)

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Area 51 vets break silence: Sorry, but no space aliens or UFOs (Seattle Times)

The National Economy

Why a $14/hour employee costs $20 (CNN)

America's Most Underwater Housing Markets (US News & World Report)

"Just as bank executives got bonuses despite taking on dangerous amounts of risk, regulators got taxpayer-funded bonuses despite missing or ignoring signs that the system was on the verge of a meltdown."

AP IMPACT: Gov't bank auditors got big bonuses (Associated Press)

Report on the Troubled Asset Relief Program--March 2010 (Congressional Budget Office)

Preliminary Analysis of the President's Budget (Congressional Budget Office)

The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases (Congressional Research Service)

Economic Growth and Employment in the Short Term (Congressional Budget Office)

Fiscal Policy Choices (Congressional Budget Office)

The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2010 to 2020 (Congressional Budget Office)

"A fundamental objective of congressional oversight is to hold executive officials accountable for the implementation of delegated authority. This objective is especially important given the huge expansion of executive influence in the modern era. If the Founding Fathers returned to observe their handiwork, they would likely be surprised by such developments as the creation of a "presidential branch" of government (the Office of Management and Budget, the National Security Council, and the like) and the establishment of so many federal departments and agencies."

Congressional Oversight: An Overview (Congressional Research Service)

Our Nation's Armed Forces

"Al Qaeda (AQ) has evolved into a significantly different terrorist organization than the one that perpetrated the September 11, 2001, attacks."

Al Qaeda and Affiliates: Historical Perspective, Global Presence, and Implications for U.S. Policy (Congressional Research Service)

Hamid Karzai’s brother to stay in power despite heroin trade claims (London Times)

Nato will fail unless you end corruption, US commander tells Karzai (London Times)

Afghanistan Drug Control: Strategy Evolving and Progress Reported, but Interim Performance Targets and Evaluation of Justice Reform Efforts Needed (Government Accountability Office)

The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight: Six billion dollars later, the Afghan National Police can't begin to do their jobs right—never mind relieve American forces (Newsweek)

A Strategic Perspective on Taliban Warfare (Small Wars Journal)

Economics: The Better Bullet for Grey War (Small Wars Journal)

Warfighter Support: Continued Actions Needed by DOD to Improve and Institutionalize Contractor Support in Contingency Operations (Government Accountability Office)

Freedom And Authority

Poll: Most Americans would trim liberties to be safer (McClatchy)

Meet Mikey, 8: U.S. Has Him on Watch List (New York Times)

Lawmakers Eyeing National ID Card (Wired)

Court OKs Repeated Tasering of Pregnant Woman (Wired)

Court Says Bush Illegally Wiretapped Two Americans (Wired)

Secret Police: Can Personal Privacy Survive the Digital Revolution? (American Conservative)

How Privacy Vanishes Online (New York Times)

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance: Overarching Guidance Is Needed to Advance Information Sharing (Government Accountability Office)

Airport full-body scanners ‘break laws on privacy’ (London Times)

Aviation Security: TSA Is Increasing Procurement and Deployment of the Advanced Imaging Technology, but Challenges to This Effort and Other Areas of Aviation Security Remain (Government Accountability Office)

Homeland Security: Ongoing Challenges Impact the Federal Protective Service's Ability to Protect Federal Facilities (Government Accountability Office)

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March 17, 2010

St. Patrick's Day

20% Will Drink To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (Rasmussen Reports)

61% - St. Patrick's Day Drinking? (Pew Research)

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The Latest Polls

27% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction (Rasmussen Reports)

Only 21% Say U.S. Government Has Consent of the Governed (Rasmussen Reports)

Voters Say Economy, Government Ethics Are Most Important Issues (Rasmussen Reports)

95% of U.S. Adults Say It's Important to Reduce National Debt, But Are Split On Tax Cuts & Spending to Create Jobs (Zogby)

Deficit Concerns Rise, But Solutions Are Elusive (Pew Research)

The Troubles: Declinists have always projected America's imminent demise. For a change, they're onto something (Newsweek)

Restoring America's Reputation in the World (Pew Research)

Obama Not Meeting Americans' Lofty Expectations on Issues (Gallup)

Negatives for Pelosi, Reid, Boehner Hit Record Highs (Rasmussen Reports)

38% Give Supreme Court Positive Ratings (Rasmussen Reports)

Race for Control of Congress Remains Close (Gallup)

Three-Way Ballot: Democrats 34%, GOP 27%, Tea Party 21% (Rasmussen Reports)

Favorability Ratings of Labor Unions Fall Sharply (Pew Research)

43% Favor Health Care Plan, 53% Oppose (Rasmussen Reports)

The New News Landscape: Rise of the Internet (Pew Research)

81% Say People Learn More Outside The Classroom Than Inside (Rasmussen Reports)

Voters Take Global Warming Less Seriously (Rasmussen Reports)

In U.S., Many Environmental Issues at 20-Year-Low Concern (Gallup)

49% Say Israel Should Stop Building Settlements As Part of Peace Deal (Rasmussen Reports)

Only 15% Think War in Iraq Is Over (Rasmussen Reports)

The Right To Know What You're Paying For

Sunshine and Shadows: The Clear Obama Message for Freedom of Information Meets Mixed Results (National Security Archive)

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February 26, 2010

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The National Mood

"Fifty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they think the federal government's become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens."

CNN Poll: Majority says government a threat to citizens' rights (CNN)

"Eighty-six percent of people questioned say that the system of government is broken, with 14 percent saying no."

Survey: Most Americans believe government broken (CNN)

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January 18, 2010

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TNO is having more technical difficulties, which we hope to straighten out soon.  It never rains but it pours.

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January 1, 2010

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Happy New Year to all of TNO's readers!  Our new issue is up and ready for reading -- see the center column for our features.

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December 15, 2009

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Back From The Dead !!!

TNO is finally up and running again.  Check the center column for our latest features!

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December 5, 2009

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Aaaaaargh !!!

To our readers -- TNO's server hard drive failed on November 22, 2009, causing a loss of all programs and files.  We're trying to reconstruct, and we apologize for the inconvenience.

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November 10, 2009

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USMC Birthday

James Montgomery Flagg poster (c. 1918), First in the Fight - Always Faithful - Be A U. S. Marine! [click on image to enlarge]

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November 8, 2009

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Our Nation's Economy

What recovery? Unemployment shoots past 10 percent (Associated Press)

Jobless: 10 percent is tougher than it used to be (Associated Press)

Broader Measure of U.S. Unemployment Stands at 17.5% (New York Times)

"The truth is that long-term unemployment remains at its highest rate since we began measuring it in 1948."

Obama Signs Homebuyer, Jobless Aid Bill (Time)

Gallup Economic Monthly: Job Market Best in South, East (Gallup Polls)

Why won't Obama give you a job? The White House thinks the stimulus is working, and it doesn't want you on its payroll (Washington Post)

The Latest Polls

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls (Rasmussen Reports)

Economic Issues

34% Say U.S. Is Heading In The Right Direction (Rasmussen Reports)

52% Say America’s Best Days Are In the Past, Highest Level in Two Years (Rasmussen Reports)

Only 10% of Consumers Rate Economy as Good or Excellent (Rasmussen Reports)

59% Favor Extension of Unemployment Benefits (Rasmussen Reports)

Americans Favor Home Buyer Tax Credit Until They Hear How Much It Costs (Rasmussen Reports)

33% Say Stimulus Helped Economy, 31% Say It Hurt (Rasmussen Reports)

81% Still Concerned About Inflation (Rasmussen Reports)

38% Say Deficit Reduction Top Priority, 23% Say Health Care Reform (Rasmussen Reports)

Americans Favor Limits on Executive Pay For Bailed Out Firms (Rasmussen Reports)

Tax Reduction: For All or For Some? (Zogby Polls)

Health Care Reform

CNN Poll: Public wants Congress to keep working on health care (CNN)

42% Support Health Care Reform After Release of Pelosi's Version (Rasmussen Reports)

83% Say Proof of Citizenship Should Be Required to Get Government Health Aid (Rasmussen Reports)

48% Want Abortion Coverage Banned in Health Care Plan (Rasmussen Reports)

72% Say Health Plan Likely to Shift Employees from Private Insurance to Government Plan (Rasmussen Reports)

44% Say Health Care Plan Likely To Force Them To Change Insurance Coverage (Rasmussen Reports)

In U.S., Half See Own Costs Worsening Under Healthcare Bill (Gallup Polls)

57% Say Health Care Plan Will Increase Costs, 53% Say It Will Reduce Quality of Care, 45% Favor Passage (Rasmussen Reports)

In U.S., 39% Say View on Healthcare “Depends” on Details: Undecided group generally favors a “public option” component (Gallup Polls)

49% Say No Health Care Reform Better Than Current Plan (Rasmussen Reports)

Competition Wanted: 65% Favor Removing Anti-Trust Exemption for Health Insurance Companies (Rasmussen Reports)

Most Voters Say They Know Health Care Bill Much Better Than Congress (Rasmussen Reports)

Healthcare Reforms Important to Most, Yet Concerns Persist (Zogby Polls)

26% Say A Family Member Lost Health Coverage in Past Year (Zogby Polls)

Exercise and Well-Being: A Little Goes a Long Way (Gallup Polls)

63% Say Doctor-Prescribed Pot Is Okay (Rasmussen Reports)

Politics

In U.S., Majority Now Say Obama’s Policies "Mostly Liberal": Fewer than half believe he has kept his election promises (Gallup Polls)

Obama Quarterly Approval Average Slips Nine Points to 53%: Largest second- to third-quarter drop for an elected president (Gallup Polls)

Obama Job Approval Falls Back to 49%: Survey finds slipping job approval ratings from core supporters including Democrats, independents and young voters (Zogby Polls)

Voters Divided On Whether Passing Good Legislation More Important Than Killing Bad Bills (Rasmussen Reports)

55% Expect Washington Politics to Grow More Partisan (Rasmussen Reports)

62% Say Congress More Responsive To Media Than To Voters (Rasmussen Reports)

30% Favor One Party Running the White House and Congress (Rasmussen Reports)

Democrats Inch Up in Partisan ID during October, GOP Slips (Rasmussen Reports)

Conservatives Maintain Edge as Top Ideological Group (Gallup Polls)

Voters Trust Republicans More On 10 Top Issues (Rasmussen Reports)

Huckabee, Romney, Palin See Most Republican Support for '12: Huckabee, Romney viewed as most qualified of possible Republican presidential candidates (Gallup Polls)

68% Oppose Cities That Give ‘Sanctuary’ To Illegal Immigrants (Rasmussen Reports)

56% Say U.S. Government Policies Encourage Illegal Immigration (Rasmussen Reports)

National Security Matters

Confidence in U.S. War on Terror Tumbles To Lowest Level In Nearly Three Years (Rasmussen Reports)

Public Divided Over Afghan Troop Requests, But Still Sees Rationale for War (Pew Research)

42% See No Victory in Afghanistan If Pakistan Remains Unstable (Rasmussen Reports)

Most Say They Lack Background to Follow Afghan News (Pew Research)

45% Say U.S. Can Win War in Afghanistan, 29% Disagree (Rasmussen Reports)

60% Say Law Should Protect Those in National Guard From Any Job Losses (Rasmussen Reports)

Americans Mostly Favorable on Defense Secretary Gates: Democrats view him more positively than Republicans (Gallup Polls)

Our American Society

Partisanship and Cable News Audiences (Pew Research)

Social Isolation and New Technology: How the Internet and Mobile Phones Impact Americans' Social Networks (Pew Research)

More Americans Tweeting: 19% of Internet Users on Twitter (Pew Research)

But What Do the Polls Show? How public opinion surveys came to play a major role in policymaking and politics (Pew Research)

Americans See Little Hope of Finding a Quality Job: Regional job conditions slightly better than earlier this year but remain far below a year ago (Gallup Polls)

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October 31, 2009

Happy Nevada Day !

The Nevada Observer Turns Seven !!!

The Day of the Dead, by Diego Rivera [click on image to enlarge].

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October 10, 2009

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Our Troubled Republic

Just 31% Believe U.S. Heading in Right Direction (Rasmussen Reports)

The Nation's Economy

Gallup Economic Monthly: Confidence Up but Wallets Shut -- Consumer spending across income groups is down 30% from year-ago levels (Gallup Polls)

67% Frown On National Sales Tax (Rasmussen Reports)

Small U.S. firms face credit squeeze as crisis drags (Reuters)

Health Care Reform

54% Favor Middle-Class Tax Cuts Over New Spending on Health Care (Rasmussen Reports)

At 16.6%, Number of Uninsured American Adults Ties High: Average percentage uninsured in 2009 significantly higher than in 2008 (Gallup Polls)

55% Oppose Penalty for Not Buying Health Insurance (Rasmussen Reports)

To Pay for Health Care Plan, 59% Say No New Taxes on Those Earning Under $250,000 (Rasmussen Reports)

"The disconnect between support for specific elements of health care legislation and overall opposition to the proposals in Congress appears to be driven by a lack of understanding about what is being proposed, the complexity of the topic, and declining trust in Congress."

Mixed Views of Economic Policies and Health Care Reform Persist: Support for Health Care Principles, Opposition to Package (Pew Research)

Falling Public Support For Healthcare Reform Can Be Turned Around (Zogby)

Decision Day For Democrats: Poll Shows Path to Healthcare Reform (Zogby)

Social Issues

60% View American Society As Fair and Decent (Rasmussen Reports)

49% Say U.S. Kids Need More Time in School (Rasmussen Reports)

In U.S., Record-Low Support for Stricter Gun Laws: Forty-four percent favor stricter laws on firearm sales (Gallup Polls)

Majority Continues to Support Civil Unions: Most Still Oppose Same-Sex Marriage (Pew Research)

Foreign Affairs

43% Give Obama Positive Marks on National Security (Rasmussen Reports)

48% Say American Muslims Should Speak Out Against Terrorist Attacks (Rasmussen Reports)

35% Expect Worse Relations With Muslim World (Rasmussen Reports)

Americans Divided on Sending More Troops to Afghanistan: Most believe generals should not make their preferred course of action public (Gallup Polls)

Most Would Use Force to Stop Iranian Nukes: Support for Talks and Sanctions, Skepticism They Will Work (Pew Research)

Our Nation's Armed Forces

In 2008 Afghanistan firefight, US weapons failed (Associated Press)

Waste And Corruption

"As the Bush administration came to an end, the federal government was not functioning as it should. Just how bad was this government dysfunction? In an effort to answer that question, the Center for Public Integrity embarked on Broken Government, an examination of the worst systematic failures of the executive branch over the past eight years."

Broken Government: An Assessment of Executive Branch Failures Since 2000 (Center For Public Integrity)

The Murtha Method: Computer Analysis Shows 12 of 16 House Defense Subcommittee Members in Controversial Circles of Lobbyists, Earmarks, and Campaign Cash (Center For Public Integrity)

MONEY & POLITICS: Ex-GOP Whip Blunt Gave Earmarks and Got Campaign Cash Through the ‘Murtha Method’ (Center For Public Integrity)

"America’s transportation policy is dysfunctional. It’s also nearly bankrupt. Now, as debate reaches a crescendo over a new $500 billion transportation bill, can the national interest trump hundreds of special interests?"

The Transportation Lobby (Center For Public Integrity)

"The illicit trafficking of tobacco is a multibillion-dollar business today, fueling organized crime and corruption, robbing governments of needed tax money, and spurring addiction to a deadly product. Drawn by profits rivaling those of narcotics, smugglers move cigarettes by the billion, making tobacco the world's most widely smuggled legal substance."

Tobacco Underground: The Booming Global Trade in Smuggled Cigarettes (Center For Public Integrity)

In The Land Of Silver And Sage

U.S. SENATE SEAT: Two could beat Reid, poll finds -- Lowden, Tarkanian tied atop GOP challengers (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Extramarital affair, illegal lobbying allegations hurting Ensign: Poll shows 22 percent would re-elect him (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

GOVERNOR'S RACE: Goodman has good numbers in poll -- Reid would beat Gibbons, but not Sandoval (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

"Following up on our two previous analyses in 1999 and 2006, the Center for Public Integrity’s latest financial disclosure rankings for state legislators found that 20 out of the 50 states received a failing grade and three of those states have no disclosure requirements at all."

States of Disclosure: The Center's 50-State Ranking of Standards for Legislators (Center For Public Integrity)

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October 5, 2009

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Latest Polls

State Of The Nation

33% Say Country Heading in Right Direction (Rasmussen Reports)

62% Say Today’s Children Will Not Be Better Off Than Their Parents (Rasmussen Reports)

Government Ethics Edges Out Economy As Top Issue Among Voters (Rasmussen Reports)

Modest Increase in U.S. Investor Optimism: Investors are more optimistic about their portfolios; views of economy’s direction unchanged (Gallup Polls)

Americans Less Sure About Long-Term Strength of Economy (Rasmussen Reports)

63% Say Housing Market Will Improve Only When Economy Does (Rasmussen Reports)

55% Still Blame Bush for Economic Problems (Rasmussen Reports)

The Administration

U.S. Jews Lead Other Religious Groups in Support of Obama: Dip in approval among Jews similar to that among general public (Gallup Polls)

More Independents Lean GOP; Party Gap Smallest Since '05: Democratic advantage on leaned party ID is 48% to 42% (Gallup Polls)

Congress

Only 16% Like The Job Congress Is Doing (Rasmussen Reports)

83% Say Congress Should Post Bills Online For All To Read Before Voting On Them (Rasmussen Reports)

50% Oppose Stricter Gun Control Laws (Rasmussen Reports)

Only 22% Say Most in Congress Will Understand Health Care Plan Before They Vote (Rasmussen Reports)

Domestic Programs

In U.S., Opposition to Healthcare Legislation Drops Modestly: Support holds steady at 51%, while percentage unsure rises (Gallup Polls)

Support for Health Care Reform Plan Up to 46% (Rasmussen Reports)

54% Say Major Changes Needed in Health Care System, 45% Disagree (Rasmussen Reports)

Fear of Losing Private Health Insurance Trumps 'Public Option' (Rasmussen Reports)

Many in U.S. See Health Insurance as Personal Responsibility: Majorities place responsibility on government when no alternative is presented (Gallup Polls)

Foreign Affairs

Just 30% Say U.S. Will Be Most Powerful Nation At End of Century (Rasmussen Reports)

60% Favor Less International Economic Oversight, Not More (Rasmussen Reports)

43% Say U.S. And Allies Winning War on Terror (Rasmussen Reports)

Public Support for Afghan Mission Slips: But Most See Possible Taliban Takeover as Major Threat (Pew Research)

32% Say Iran Is Top Threat to U.S. (Rasmussen Reports)

Miscellaneous Matters

Strong Support For Watchdog Role, Despite Public Criticism Of News Media (Pew Research)

Support For Abortion Slips: Issue Ranks Lower on the Agenda (Pew Research)

75% Say Americans Are Getting Ruder (Rasmussen Reports)

Americans Least Happy in Their 50s and Late 80s: Differences by age and gender fit no simple pattern (Gallup Polls)

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September 21, 2009

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Gloomy Reviews Of The War Against The Taliban

Gen. McChrystal's Afghanistan Assessment (US Defense Department)

Pakistani Capabilities for a Counterinsurgency Campaign: A Net Assessment (New America Foundation)

   

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In This Issue

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Woody Barlettani's Latest Cartoons

Humanity, by Woodrow Barlettani [click on image to enlarge; click here to see more.]

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New In TNO's Reading Room

Nevada History:

"In the spring and early summer of 1858 a series of events took place in western Utah which caused great excitement throughout that region. The first of these was the murder of Henry Gordier, a Frenchman, in Honey Lake valley, and the events that followed were the result of this."

Asa Merrill Fairfield, The Murder of Henry Gordier, [excerpt from Asa Merrill Fairfield, Fairfield's Pioneer History of Lassen County, California (1916)]

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"On my return to Honolulu I was astonished to find that 'Mark Twain' had arrived a few days before. He was in San Francisco when I left holding the position of reporter on the Call. 'How in thunder, Mark,' I asked him when we met, 'does it happen that you have come here?' 'Well, you see,' said Mark, in his peculiar drawl, 'I waited for six months for you fellows to discharge me—for I knew you did not want me,—and getting tired of waiting, I discharged myself.'

Col. James J. Ayers, Mark Twain Doing the Islands [excerpt from Col. James J. Ayers, Gold and sunshine, reminiscences of early California (1922)]

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"I had not been long in the editorial chair of the Enterprise before mysterious hints about marvelous discoveries came from the region of White Pine. Information from that remote locality continued to come to the office during the summer of 1868, and from sources so authentic and direct as to leave no room to doubt that a rich and extensive system of mines had been discovered at Treasure Hill."

Col. James J. Ayers, A Disastrous Newspaper Venture [excerpt from Col. James J. Ayers, Gold and sunshine, reminiscences of early California (1922)]

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"One of the most joyous comedies of the Days of Gold was the Sage Brush War."

Robert Welles Ritchie, The Sage Brush War [excerpt from Robert Welles Ritchie, The Hell-roarin' Forty-niners (1928)]

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"Typical adjunct to life in the hellroarin' days of the Argonauts when camps reeked gold and the humors of men were raw as new-plowed prairie land, was that effervescent phenomenon known as the Whizzer."

Robert Welles Ritchie, Concerning Bald-Headed Whizzers [excerpt from Robert Welles Ritchie, The Hell-roarin' Forty-niners (1928)]

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"Huge, gross, loud swearing, he came to Downieville in the year of '50 and started a monte-and-poker shack on Durgan's Flat."

Robert Welles Ritchie, How Reelfoot Williams Got His Name [excerpt from Robert Welles Ritchie, The Hell-roarin' Forty-niners (1928)]

How Nevada Became a Territory:

The Western United States, 1853 (Mary B. Ansari Map Collection, University of Nevada - Reno) [click on image to enlarge]

Capt. James H. Carleton, Special Report of the Mountain Meadow Massacre, House Document No. 605, 57th Cong., 1st Sess. (1859; reprinted 1902)

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John Cradlebaugh, Speech of John Cradlebaugh of Nevada, on the Admission of Utah As a State (1863) Speech; Appendix

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Recent Additions To TNO's Reading Room

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The Creation of Nevada Territory:

The Utah Expedition [House Executive Document No. 71, 35th Cong., 1st Sess.] (1858) Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4

Messages and Proclamations of President James Buchanan regarding the Army Expedition to Utah [Excerpts from The Works of James Buchanan, vol. 10 (1908)]

Condition of Affairs in Utah Territory [House Executive Document No. 78, 36th Congress, 1st Sess.] (1860)

Regional History:

H. H. Bancroft, Idaho's Indian Wars [excerpt from H. H. Bancroft, History of Washington, Idaho and Montana (1890)]

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Nevada History Texts:

David Thompson (comp.),  Indian Agency Reports pertaining to Nevada, 1862; 1863; 1864; 1865; 1866; 1867; 1868 [From the Annual Reports of the Superintendent of Indian Affairs]

Related Reading

David Thompson (comp.), Letters from Nevada Indian Agents 1849-1861 (1981): 1849; 1850; 1851; 1852; 1853; 1854; 1855; 1856; 1857;  1858; 1859; 1860; 1861

Dr. Garland Hurt, Indians of Utah (1860)  [From Report of explorations across the great basin of the territory of Utah for a direct wagon-route from Camp Floyd to Genoa, in Carson Valley (1876)]

Edward M. Kern, Journal of an Exploration of Mary's or Humboldt River, Carson Lake, and Owens River and Lake in 1845  [From Report of explorations across the great basin of the territory of Utah for a direct wagon-route from Camp Floyd to Genoa, in Carson Valley (1876)]

David Thompson (comp.), US Army Operations in Nevada Territory 1861; US Army Operations in Nevada Territory 1862 (Jan-Jun); US Army Operations in Nevada and Utah Territories 1862 (Jul-Dec); US Army Operations in Nevada and Utah Territories 1863 (Jan-Mar); US Army Operations in Nevada and Utah Territories 1863 (Apr-Jun); US Army Operations in Nevada and Utah Territories 1863 (Jul-Dec); US Army Operations in Nevada and Utah Territories 1864 (Jan-Jun); US Army Operations in Nevada and Utah Territories 1864 (Jul-Dec); US Army Operations in Nevada 1865 (Jan-Jun); US Army Operations in Nevada 1865 (Jul-Dec) [From the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, Series I, vol. 50, Parts 1 & 2]

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Zoeth Skinner Eldredge, The Comstock Lode [excerpt from Eldredge's History of California vol. 4 (1915)]

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Regional History:

Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Rogue River Indian Wars 1851-1858 [excerpt from Bancroft's History of Oregon vol. 2 (1890)]

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Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Snake River Indian Wars 1858-1873 [excerpt from Bancroft's History of Oregon vol. 2 (1890)]

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Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Modoc Indian Wars 1864-1873 [excerpt from Bancroft's History of Oregon vol. 2 (1890)]

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Theodore H. Hittell, The Modoc Indian War 1873 [excerpt from Hittell's History of California vol. 3 (1897)]

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More Nevada History:

"On the first of April a large column of smoke was seen rising from the vicinity, and the supposition is the station was that day attacked by the Indians. The walls of the house occupied by the men were built from thick pieces of sod. They had made ten loopholes for their rifles on the side attacked. The attack was made from a stone corral about thirty paces off, in front of the house. (To the east and lower than the house.) The whole front of the corral is bespattered with lead of the bullets fired from the house. By appearances the fight is supposed to have lasted about half a day. Curry was killed by a shot through a loophole — a body in the house having been recognized by persons acquainted with him. The legs from below the knees were missing."

Asa M. Fairfield, Indian Troubles in Northwestern Nevada [From Asa Merrill Fairfield, Pioneer History of Lassen County (1916)] 1848-5918601861-641865-671868-69

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"So pleasant was it, so hospitable and social were the people, so much was there to see, that I absolutely found no time during my too brief stay to chronicle incidents and impressions, and I am now almost ashamed to dismiss so delightful an episode of travel in a few brief, dry paragraphs, as I find I must do."

Grace Greenwood, A Visit to Nevada in 1871 [From Grace Greenwood, New Life in New Lands: Notes of Travel (1873)]

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"But the Velvet is the marvel. There they sweep up the surface and ship it. I asked the owner if I could take a sample panning. 'Here's a broom,' he said, 'sweep up some dirt wherever you like and pan it.' I took the broom and swept up a pan from the middle of that wagon road over the claim and panned it, showing a result of $5,500 to the ton."

Facts About Goldfield; The Greatest Mining Camp in the World (1904)

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"The first time a dress suit appeared on the streets of Goldfield one evening, the blue-shirted and khaki-suited miners exclaimed, as they saw it coming up the main street:

            "What is it? Look at it! Rubber! Let's put it on the stage in the Mint Saloon and have it talk and make it sing!"

            "No sooner said than done, and at the point of half a dozen automatic revolvers he was put upon the Mint Saloon stage and made to dance and sing between the drinks and the hurrahs of the men."

John D. Hoff, Tenderfoot and expert; a true story and experience of a tenderfoot at Goldfield and Tonopah (1905)

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"On the outskirts of the hamlet I met a Scotchman who affirmed that his cabin was the oldest dwelling in the region. It was built in 1867. The main part contained a single room, but there was a lean-to at the rear and a little cave ran back under the hill. The owner invited me in to rest myself and offered me a cup of whiskey, or, if I preferred, he would make me a cup of tea, coffee or chocolate. When we entered, a gray cat departed through a missing window-pane. The man said the cat was his pardner; 'And I don't want any other,' he affirmed."

Clifton Johnson, A Visit to the Comstock Lode in 1908 [From Clifton Johnson, Highways and Byways of California, with excursions into Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Idaho (1908)]

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"Nowhere, save in war, have so many costly, high-powered machines been wrecked as over that stretch of lonely desert between Goldfield and Bullfrog when there was not even a semblance of a road. When I made the trip, in quest of magazine material, it was like putting to sea in a flat- bottomed skiff. The law of the survival of the fittest had wrought its pitiless work among the battered automobiles, and from the wreckage loomed the commanding figure of Bill Brown, the only driver who guaranteed to get you there, whether his car held together or not."

Ralph D. Paine, An Adventurous Trip on the Bullfrog-Las Vegas Stage [From Ralph D. Paine, Roads of Adventure (1922)]

__________

William Audley Maxwell [click on image to enlarge]

"More than ever rumors of impending trouble were flying from train to train. Some of these were to the effect that white bandits were in league with Indians in robbing and murdering emigrants. The well-known treachery of the savages, and the stories we heard of emigrants having been slaughtered also by whites — the real facts of which we knew little of — were quite enough to beget fear and suggest the need of plans for the best possible resistance."

William Audley Maxwell, Crossing the Plains: Days of '57, A Narrative of Early Emigrant Travel to California by the Ox-Team Method (1915) Part 1 (Chapters 1-6); Part 2 (Chapters 7-13)

_____

Maj. Gen. O. O. Howard [click on image to enlarge]

"A favorite idea, similar to the ' Messiah craze,' carried by these Dreamers from tribe to tribe all through the Northwest country, was that there would soon be a resurrection of Indians. All the whites were to be killed, and the Indians' wrongs would then be righted."

Maj. Gen. O. O. Howard, The Bannock War [excerpt from Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard, My life and experiences among our hostile Indians (1907)]

_____

Col. William Thompson [click on image to enlarge]

"As a rule the young and impatient warriors, thirsting for blood, fame and the property of the white man, to say nothing of scalps, begin to commit acts of outlawry before the plans of older heads are ripe for execution."

Col. William Thompson, The Great Bannock War [excerpt from Col. William Thompson, Reminiscences of a Pioneer (1912)]

_____

"Dramatic incidents are usually embellished by a woman, and no woman is capable of creating incidents of moment, involving the attention of the public, unless possessed of some extraordinary abilities or peculiar characteristics not in keeping with the usual order of her sex."

The Tragic History of the Sharon Cases [excerpt from (ed.) Oscar T. Shuck, History of the bench and bar of California: being biographies of many remarkable men, a store of humorous and pathetic recollections, accounts of important legislation and extraordinary cases, comprehending the judicial history of the state (1901)]

_____

"Their wonderful 'find,' the location and production of these vast deposits, added at least $150,000,000 to the wealth of the coast in three years, and made the partners richer than their wildest dreams."

The Celebrated Trust Will of James G. Fair [excerpt from (ed.) Oscar T. Shuck, History of the bench and bar of California: being biographies of many remarkable men, a store of humorous and pathetic recollections, accounts of important legislation and extraordinary cases, comprehending the judicial history of the state (1901)]

"A 15 mile ride in a flume down the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 35 minutes, was not one of the things contemplated on my visit to Virginia City, and it is entirely within reason to say that I shall never make the trip again."

H. J. Ramsdell, The Great Nevada Flume: A Perilous Ride (1881)

__________

"Our driver was of course skillful ; but had he met a wagon suddenly on rounding one of the sharp points or projections we were constantly passing, a fearful crash was unavoidable. Had his horses seen fit to run away (as they did run once, on the unhooking of a trace, but at a place where he had room to rein, them out of the road on the upper side, and thus stop them) I know that he could not have held them, and we might have been pitched headlong down a precipice of a thousand feet, where all of the concern that could have been picked up afterward would not have been worth two bits per bushel."

Horace Greeley, Across Nevada by Stagecoach in 1859 (1860) [Excerpt from Horace Greeley, An overland journey, from New York to San Francisco in the summer of 1859 (1860)]

__________

"Six Pikes Peakers found the body of the station-keeper horribly mutilated, the station burned, and all the stock missing from Simpson's."

W. F. Bailey, The Pony Express (1898)

__________

"Along the cañon are many towering, sun-burnt rocks, weather-beaten and worn into weird and fantastic shapes, and these and the swift-descending timber, splashing the water up many feet at every turn, to sparkle in the sunlight, the Carson Valley spread out below, with the Pine Nut, Walker and Sweetwater Mountains on one side, and the Sierras opposite, always attract and delight the lover of bold mountain scenery."

Henry T. Williams, Touring Lake Tahoe in 1880 [Excerpt from (ed.) Henry T. Williams, The Pacific Tourist: Adams & Bishop's Illustrated Transcontinental Guide (1881)]

Nevada Literature:

"I went in, and went clear to the bottom. When I went down thar to the Consolidated Virginia works, I made up my mind I'd see it all -- that I'd go as far into the bowels of the yearth as it was possible to git 'thout diggin' any new holes."

Dan DeQuille (William Wright), Old Hayseed in the Mines (c. 1877)

"In the early days, stage-robbing was one of the most active industries on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. Not exactly a legitimate business, still it was looked on with easy tolerance even by leading citizens."

Wells Drury, Knights of the Road (1936) [Excerpt from Wells Drury, An Editor on the Comstock Lode (1936)]

__________

"Our animals were in fine condition for a rapid drive, and speedily emerging from this lovely retreat, we passed Eagle Ranch, and, after rounding a small spur of the mountain, we came to the river ; and at this point commences what is commonly known as " Carson Valley" -- and surely a more lovely place the sun never shone upon."

Elizabeth Cornelia Woodcock Ferris, From Salt Lake City to Carson Valley by Carriage in 1853 (1856) [Excerpt from Mrs. B. G. Ferris, The Mormons at home; with some incidents of travel from Missouri to California, 1852-3 (1856)] 

__________

"Las Vegas, further on this way, is another famous camping ground. It is a large meadow with several springs at the head which, uniting, form quite a stream flowing through it. One of these springs is so large as to make a good bathing pool, and the water is warm and boils up with such force as to buoy the swimmer like a cork."

Judge Walter Van Dyke, Overland to Los Angeles by the Salt Lake Route in 1849 (1894)

__________

"We now found ourselves in the centre of Indian hostilities. Obliged to travel through the daytime with a guard posted each side of our train ready for an attack any moment. United States soldiers were patrolling the country, driving the Indians back from the track of the Pony Express."

Ellery Bicknell Crane, An Overland Trip to California in the Year 1860 (1901)

__________

"He spoke but once. ' They have killed me, ' then fell on his face and gasped but once. Thus fell the 'old pioneer' whose whole history and life almost is connected with the exciting and wild scenes of the west ; and when this and other generations shall have passed away the traveler will look on the snow-clad buttes, and hear of the fertile meadows that bear his name, and remember with reverence the venerable voyageur."

Asa Merrill Fairfield, The Life and Death of Peter Lassen (1915) [Excerpt from Asa Merrill Fairfield, Pioneer History of Lassen County, California (1915)]

__________

"The Lassen Trail was a "holy terror," so to speak."

Asa Merrill Fairfield, The Lassen Trail [Excerpt from Asa Merrill Fairfield, Pioneer History of Lassen County, California (1915)]

__________

"Nowhere in the world can one find greater contrasts than in this region."

Robert H. Chapman, The Deserts of Nevada and Death Valley (1906)

__________

"The prairie dog villages are a real curiosity. We have passed through several of them, each covering several acres, and each hole inhabited by a curious combination, consisting of the dog and a small owl and a rattlesnake."

J. M. Stewart, Overland Trip to California in 1850 (1901)

__________

"We did not contemplate the broad field for enterprise and adventure which we were then entering, nor did we even dream of the fact that we were upon the very threshold of the most marvelous mineral discoveries known to the world's history."

Alfred James, Early Days in Washoe (1901)

__________

"Mr. Rhodes and party — seven in all left alive from his party — arrived through Tehachepi Pass, or near Fort Tejon Pass, more dead than alive. These men, Martin and Townsend, got through on Kern River, and — I believe — then Walker's Pass. They were both murdered by some Spaniards afterwards."

George Miller, A Trip to Death Valley in 1869 (1919)

__________

"From the very first meeting of the camel and the American mule-whacker who was to be his driver there developed between the two a mutual antipathy."

J. M. Guinn, Camel Caravans of the American Desert (1901)

=================================================================

The Nevada Observer's Fabulous Cartoon Features !!!

The Nevada Observer: Existential Art
 
(Click here to see more)
The Drifter Hotel:
Cartoons by Woodrow
=================================================================

N.C. Wyeth, The Carpetbaggers (1912)

Nevada News Digest And Links Of Interest

For previous entries in the Nevada News Digest, see the

TNO Nevada News Digest and Breaking News Archives:

December 2004-June 2005; July-September 2005; October-December 2005; January-March 2006; April-May 2006; June 2006; July 2006; August 2006; September 2006; October 2006; November 2006; December 2006; January 2007; February 2007; March 2007; April 2007; May 2007; June 2007; July 2007; August 2007; September 2007; October 2007; November 2007; December 2007; January 2008; February 2008; March 2008; April 2008; October 2008; November 2008; December 2008; January 2009; February 2009; March 2009; April 2009; May 2009; June 2009; July 2009; August 2009

========================================= 

 

 
Doug Berchem
Travel Unlimited

Business, Domestic, Foreign Travel, Cruises & Tours; Passport Services

1105 Terminal Way #111, Reno, NV 89502; Phone (775) 846-9548 -- Fax (775) 329-8813

dberchem@sbcglobal.net

____________________

  •  


    Laws like to cobwebs, catch small flies, Great ones break through before your eyes.

    – Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack (1734)

     

    2010 DATES TO REMEMBER
    JULY

    For details on Nevada festivals and events see the Nevada Commission on Tourism's Events website.


     

    In the long run, the most unpleasant truth is a safer companion than a pleasant falsehood.

    -- Theodore Roosevelt

     

    The Nevada Observer is published twice a month, on the 1st and 15th, with frequent updates for breaking news and links to articles of interest to our educated readers.  Here is our privacy policy.  All on-site content, including scans, Copyright © The Nevada Observer 2003-2010.

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    News From TNO Columnist Hal Swift:

                For three years, I wrote twice-monthly Old Sage tales for the Nevada Observer... all of them based loosely on my unpublished novel, "Ballad of a Small Town." I'm pleased to inform you that the novel is now available via Bottom of the Hill Publishing, the company owned by my friend Ron Kight, his wife, Dottie, and their son, Jeff. The website is up and running, and has an invitation for writers to contact them about publishing.

    Here's the link to the home page. http://bottomofthehillpublishing.com/

    __________

    ____________________

     

    In every government on earth is some trace of human weakness, some germ of corruption and degeneracy, which cunning will discover, and wickedness insensibly open, cultivate and improve. Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves, therefore, are its only safe depositories.

    - Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia (1782)

     

     

    The time to guard against corruption and tyranny is before they shall have gotten hold of us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold, than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered.

    - Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia (1782)

     

    If there is anything which it is the duty of the whole people to never intrust to any hands but their own, that thing is the preservation and perpetuity of their own liberties and institutions.

    -  Abraham Lincoln, speech at Peoria, Illinois, October 16, 1854

     

    An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws. He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.

    - Thomas  Paine, Dissertations on First Principles of Government (1795)

    ____________________

    A Reminder To Our Readers:  Have You Looked At Our Links Page Recently?

    ____________________

    The Old Corner Bar

    Lyman Frisbie has just received an invoice of the best potables that ever were concocted for the stimulation and preservation of the human economy. The whisky is of the most humanizing and exalting character; the brandy is of the choicest flavor and most amiable propensities; the gin possesses those truly alternative principles which gin of the correct kind of motives is known to contain; the rum is of the quality which none but the most reckless of families are willing to be without; and as to the wines and ales, they are simply vinous and malted nectar, fit for the gods, the goddesses and the general public. All this at Frisbie's famous and classic Old Corner.

    [From the Carson City Appeal, July 21, 1875]

    ____________________

    IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

    The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

    When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

    We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

    He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

    He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

    He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

    He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

    He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

    He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

    He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

    He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

    He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

    He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

    He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

    He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

    He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

    For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

    For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

    For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

    For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

    For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

    For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

    For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

    For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

    For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

    He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

    He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

    He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

    He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

    He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

    In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

    Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

    We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Georgia:

       Button Gwinnett

       Lyman Hall

       George Walton

    North Carolina:

       William Hooper

       Joseph Hewes

       John Penn

    South Carolina:

       Edward Rutledge

       Thomas Heyward, Jr.

       Thomas Lynch, Jr.

       Arthur Middleton

    Massachusetts:

    John Hancock

    Maryland:

    Samuel Chase

    William Paca

    Thomas Stone

    Charles Carroll of Carrollton

    Virginia:

    George Wythe

    Richard Henry Lee

    Thomas Jefferson

    Benjamin Harrison

    Thomas Nelson, Jr.

    Francis Lightfoot Lee

    Carter Braxton

    Pennsylvania:

       Robert Morris

       Benjamin Rush

       Benjamin Franklin

       John Morton

       George Clymer

       James Smith

       George Taylor

       James Wilson

       George Ross

    Delaware:

       Caesar Rodney

       George Read

       Thomas McKean

    New York:

       William Floyd

       Philip Livingston

       Francis Lewis

       Lewis Morris

    New Jersey:

       Richard Stockton

       John Witherspoon

       Francis Hopkinson

       John Hart

       Abraham Clark

    New Hampshire:

       Josiah Bartlett

       William Whipple

    Massachusetts:

       Samuel Adams

       John Adams

       Robert Treat Paine

       Elbridge Gerry

    Rhode Island:

       Stephen Hopkins

       William Ellery

    Connecticut:

       Roger Sherman

       Samuel Huntington

       William Williams

       Oliver Wolcott

    New Hampshire:

       Matthew Thornton

    ______________________
    Our American Heritage:

    Preamble To The Constitution Of The United States

    We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

    The Bill Of Rights Of The American Republic

    AMENDMENT I.

    Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

    AMENDMENT II.

    A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

    AMENDMENT III.

    No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

    AMENDMENT IV.

    The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

    AMENDMENT V.

    No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of  a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval  forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.  

    AMENDMENT VI.

    In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

    AMENDMENT VII.

    In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

    AMENDMENT VIII.

    Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

    AMENDMENT IX.

    The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

    AMENDMENT X.

    The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

    ______________________________________

    Two Poems By Robinson Jeffers

    Shine, Republic

    The quality of these trees, green height; of the sky, shining; of water, a clear flow; of the rock, hardness

    And reticence: each is noble in its quality. The love of freedom has been the quality of western man.

    There is a stubborn torch that flames from Marathon to Concord, its dangerous beauty binding three ages

    Into one time; the waves of barbarism and civilization have eclipsed but have never quenched it.

    For the Greeks the love of beauty, for Rome of ruling; for the present age the passionate love of discovery;

    But in one noble passion we are one; and Washington, Luther, Tacitus, Eschylus, one kind of man.

    And you, America, that passion made you. You were not born to prosperity, you were born to love freedom.

    You did not say “en masse,” you said “independence.” But we cannot have all the luxuries and freedom also.

    Freedom is poor and laborious; that torch is not safe but hungry, and often requires blood for its fuel.

    You will tame it against it burn too clearly, you will hood it like a kept hawk, you will perch it on the wrist of Caesar.

    But keep the tradition, conserve the forms, the observances, keep the spot sore. Be great, carve deep your heel-marks.

    The states of the next age will no doubt remember you, and edge their love of freedom with contempt of luxury.

    __________

    Shine, Perishing Republic

    While this America settles in the mould of its vulgarity, heavily thickening to empire

    And protest, only a bubble in the molten mass, pops and sighs out, and the mass hardens,

    I sadly smiling remember that the flower fades to make fruit, the fruit rots to make earth.

    Out of the mother; and through the spring exultances, ripeness and decadence; and home to the mother.

    You making haste haste on decay: not blameworthy; life is good, be it stubbornly long or suddenly

    A mortal splendor: meteors are not needed less than mountains: shine, perishing republic.

    But for my children, I would have them keep their distance from the thickening center; corruption

    Never has been compulsory, when the cities lie at the monster's feet there are left the mountains.

    And boys, be in nothing so moderate as in love of man, a clever servant, insufferable master.

    There is the trap that catches noblest spirits, that caught--they say-- God, when he walked on earth.

     

    ______________________________________

    If you do what you should not, you must hear what you would not.

    – Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack (1738)

     

    ______________________________________

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    Solargenix Coming Under Fire From Unions, State Regulators: Company Being Challenged On Hiring Workers From Out Of Country

    Renewable Energy Resources And Water Big Part Of Gibbons' Plans: Geothermal, Wind, Solar On Governor-elect's Large Menu

    Ely Power Plant Gets OK -- Transmission Line Too PUC Divided Over Renewable Energy Bonuses/Tax Breaks

    Big Bonus For Investors Off The Agenda: Questions Of Power Sources Remain At PUC Hearings On Coal Fired Plants

    Renewable / Diversified Energy News Questions Arise About Federal Loans -- Big New Buildings Need To Diversify

    Major Power Squabble Before Public Utilities Commission Sierra Pacific Hearing On Ely Coal Plant Brings Complaints From Many Others

    Battle Looms Over White Pine's Proposed Power Plants Sierra Pacific Resources Has Plans, As Does New Jersey's LS Power Group

    Wind Generated Electricity May Be In Your Future Several Hundred Scientists, Officials Study The Subject In Reno Confab

    TNO Articles on Water In Nevada

    Water May Yet Flow South As SNWA Gets Partial OK Developers Want More, White Pine County Wants To Give Less

    SB 487 To Create A Northern Nevada Water Authority Based On Current Southern Water Moloch Ideal

    Where Does Your Water Come From: Ground, River? The Answer May Surprise You, Since It Is Probably Both

    White Pine Railroad Changes Of Ownership Good For Ely SNWA Wants In, Council Says No To Water Moloch

    Water Agency Head Pleads With Legislature For More SNWA Not Well Received By Many Rural Members

    Washoe Looking For Super Water Agency: Doubling Of The Population Also In The Works 

    Lincoln County, Whittemore Lose First Major Water Battle: Coyote Springs Development Not In Peril, Says Nevada Lobbyist

    Water Rights In Utah Are Basis Of Bi-State Talks SNWA Continues To Extend Borders, Desires, Needs

    Water Rights In Utah Are Basis Of Bi-State Talks: SNWA Continues To Extend Borders, Desires, Needs

    Water Moloch Runs Rampant -- Another White Pine Ranch Absorbed: SNWA Buys Another 990 Acre Feet For Exploding Las Vegas

    State Engineer's Water Hearings Have Come To An End: Decisions May Not Be Made Quickly Following Two Weeks Of Testimony

    Water Hearings Are Underway; Growth, Lifestyle At Stake State Engineer Meetings To Continue For Several Weeks --- Court To Follow?

    Is Silver State Economy Beginning To Sag? Some Are Saying Yes A Lack Of Water May Have Largest Impact On Economy

    TNO Articles on the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Dump Project

    One Way Blocked, One More Exists For DOE: Northern Route To Yucca Off The Menu, Not Caliente

    The Trains Are Dangerous And They May Yet Come: Nuclear Agency Head Speaks To Sparks City Council

    Nuclear Waste Problem Easily Solved: Think Costs Of Yucca, Costs Of Leaving On Site

    Management To Blame Says Yucca Report: Falsified Reports, Flagrant Lying Because Of Inept Managers

    Yucca Problems Mount For DOE: Transportation, Costs Not To Mention Congressional Opposition From Harry Reid

    Yucca Costs Not Reality, Say Nevada Officials Harry Reid Looking To Shut Off Funding For Nuke Dump

    Yucca Mountain Comes Under Continued Attack By Many: Former NRC Commissioner Says Project Should Be Dropped

    Yucca Dollars On The Line As Nevada's Reps Plan Fight DOE Asks For And Gets Land Set Aside For Rail Line

    Congressional Changes May Create Anti-Yucca Problems: Nevada Delegation Firm In Their Resolve Despite Challenges From Democrats

    Yucca Transportation Plan Discussed At Reno Meeting: DOE Withdraws More Land For Caliente/Mina Rail Corridors

    DOE Adds Reno To Public Hearing List For Nuclear Rail Plan: No Other Cities Along Union Pacific Rails Included

    Yucca Rail Plan Creates Stir In South State, Not In North: Danger Of Nuclear Waste Loaded Trains Coming Through Every City Not Recognized In North

    Continued Chaos At Yucca Mountain - New / Old Rail Project Discussed: Accountability, Quality Assurance, Licensing All In Continued Turmoil

    What Will It Be, DOE? Safety Or Proliferation Of Nuclear Energy? Questions Concerning Transportation Safety Continue To Surface

    Nine Billion Dollars And They Still Can't Get It Right --- Porter; Corrective Action Program Not Effectively Managed --- DOE IG

    Repercussions Continue Following DOE Yucca Mountain Proposals "Arbitrary And Capricious" Are Terms Being Used In Washington

    "A Record Of Fraud": Berkley -- "No Basis In Reality" Ensign: DOE Says, "We Will Bring Nuclear Garbage To Nevada Beginning March 2017"


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