Daily Glean: Republican crickets a product of evolution, or just made that way?

• Global warming pollutants went up more in Nevada in the last 40 years than in any almost any other state, study says (AP). What this state needs is an initiative basing allowable increases of global warming pollutants on population growth and the consumer price index.
• Mormon crickets invade Northern Nevada (AP). Much to the dismay of "Democrat" gubernatorial candidate and saint Jim Gibson, however, the Nevada Secretary of State's office reports that the crickets are following typical Mormon patterns, and registering as Republicans.
• Lost in all the hullabaloo over the tax and spend control thingy was the fact that other initiatives that didn't reap the benefits of professional signature gatherers sank with barely a thud, as if they were, oh, the Bob Beers gubernatorial campaign. Saddest of all, perchance, was a proposal to require teachers to pretend that evolution isn't science. That would have been fun for the whole family, and educational, too. Odd that it didn't get enough signatures, really. The TASC initiative, arguing as it does that Nevada state government is too big, demonstrates that a substantial portion of the public is perfectly willing to substitute myth and superstition for reality in the public policy arena.
• The Great and Powerful Harry Reid will be trying to herd cats Wednesday when the Senate takes up John Kerry's proposal to roust out of Iraq by July of next year, along with a competing Democratic proposal to sort of begin thinking about maybe at least phasing out by the end of this year, or something like that (AP, Post). The latter proposal is, perhaps, one step beyond the pointless "year of transition" claptrap that Harry's always running on about as if it were a meaningful position. Of course, nobody, Republican or Democrat, knows what to do in Iraq, and frankly we're sick and tired of the "whether you agree with why we went there or not, we're there, and that is the issue that must be addressed" noise. So the Gleaner humbly offers a simpler alternative for the Senate: Just pass a resolution saying it's Bush's fault. It's what the nation's thinking, anyway. Say it officially, get that out of the way, and see if it doesn't shake loose a policy option or two.
• The witch-doctors, yahoos and hoo-haws otherwise known as House Republicans have all but buried immigration legislation this year (Post), much to the delight, no doubt, of area specimens Jim Gibbons and Jon Porter, both of whom have flip-flopped on this campaign season's most trendy crisis already and would dearly like to avoid any further flip-flops, er, votes on the issue.
• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has $33.5 million cash on hand, while the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, has $18.3 million on hand (AP). If only Nevada had an influential and powerful Democratic Senator who could persuade the DSCC to provide a substantial amount of money to Jack Carter. Oh well.

Comments

[isaac]

Come on Gleaner--Why do you sling your garbage at the Mormons?? To be fair, I want you to either stop your biggot crap, or start referring to all the jewish people you deal with as "those jews" or even blacks as --well you get the picture. What makes it okay to talk trash about groups of people based on their religion?>? Would it be okay for start making statements like--in true fag fassion, or like all the spiks?? You call yourselg a Democrat, but you act like some back woods hillbilly confederate flag waiving, cross burning, brainless idiot when you make statements like that. Why do you hate mormons anyway?

[Demdozer]

Let's drop Mormons and turn to today's media bullshit-fest. See the official TASC newsletter--that is, the R-J? Here's what's funny: the AFL-CIO accuses the TASC podpeople of changing the facts to suit their purposes. That's what the R-J's editors do every day!

Then you hope for more Truth from the godlike Ralston. His column is a tribute to Manny Cortez. Fine. No need to screw over the dead. But did anybody notice the obits quoted Billy Vassiliadis as one of Cortez's great friends and admirers? What's the name of his company? Oh, yeah, R&R, which always got the convention authority contract, including when the convention authority was run by ... yeah, Manny Cortez. And who does Ralston call his best friend? Vassiliadis. At least we can be sure that Ralston was totally objective, just like he is when he's critical of Oscar Goodman. His personal feelings never get in the way.

Anybody still wondering why it took the LA Times to smell the rotting judges in this town?

[CollegeStudent]

Demdozer-
When the whole town smells everyone gets kind of aclimated and no one notices anymore.

Gleaner-
Better make you proof read your Tax and Smog Control innitiative.

[collegedem]

Forward together is holding a map changers competition.

Sign up and vote for Jack Carter. He is in the top 10 for the west and your help could get him a fundraiser with Gov. Mark Warner.

http://www.forwardtogetherpac.com/mapchangers

If Reid won't look out for his own party, we will!

Isaac-
A person's religious beliefs are perfectly fair game. To compare them to a personal trait like skin color is ridiculous. Religious beliefs are like political beliefs. You have a fundamental human right to hold them and to preach them. However, you need to understand that everyone else has a fundamental human right to criticize them. To challenge the professed beliefs of another does not make someone a bigot.
Having said that, I don't even I don't even see where the Gleaner made any comments at all about Mormons. He merely made a joke about bugs.

[Myrna the Minx]

Bashing? It just seems like TG made some factual statements about LDS voting patterns....If he was trying to bash he would have made a joke about Orrin Snatch, oops, I mean Hatch.

[IronJawed]

"What this state needs is an initiative basing allowable increases of global warming pollutants on population growth and the consumer price index."

I dunno if the Gleaner was trying to be funny about this... Hmm... Was this an allusion to a particular conservative agenda?

All I know is that we have a moral imperative to reduce, and possibly stop generating all greenhouse gasses. This can be done. It can even be done without hurting our economy. Let's start with renewable energy in the form of solar, wind and geo-thermal power. Then we can move on to biodiesel reduces net CO² emissions by 78 percent compared to petroleum diesel.

[John]

Fine then Anonymous, I hate faggots.

as a dina supporter to be honest i must say this. sorry if it is treason-- but i notice that only my fellow dina supporters are saying no foul play by the gleaner when in fact if it was a rip on Dina we would all be saying why and how could you say that. We would probably refer to him as a biggot. I do not and will not condone any biggotry due to religion. in the same breath i believe in seperation of church and state. with that said gleaner did not say anything about mormons that was terrible bad, but we as democrats should be the bigger party that should shout hurray if a mormon does join our party. ya you think they dont support our parties ajenda and i might agree, but do they have to support it to a T, or can they believe as they want on moral issues. it is what makes our party the big tent party or the inclusionary party as howard dean says.

[CollegeStudent]

As a Gibson supporter, I have to say, the mormon cickets glean was hilarious. I think it is funny, I do not think it is bigotted. We all need to get over this PC crap and have a little fun.
While we all appreciate the gleaners progressive blogging, what hooked me from the start was his irreverant sense of humor. Politics and election are all really important and many of cleary care deeply about the outcomes, nonetheless, if we take this stuff too seriously we will lose our minds.
My mentor and hero, Wavy Gravy once said, "If you lose your sense of humor, it just isn't funny anymore."

[Bob Beers]

Gleaner -

I drove over a couple of thousand of those crickets last weekend, around Austin and Battle Mountain. Don't you think that should get me some easier coverage on TASC from the left wing here?

For your bug-lovers, you'll be happy to know that Titus, Gibson and Gibbons didn't kill any. They didn't show up in Aust.

[unsuspected driver]

Interesting Beers i thought for sure you were broke down in Goldfield as i drove by and almost crashed when the glare off your forehead from the picture on your motorhome went into my eyes.

[Michael Cox]

Interesting to note, of course that the "Great and Powerful Harry Reid" is a Mormon...

[Michael Cox]

Interesting to note, of course that the "Great and Powerful Harry Reid" is a Mormon...