Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Ben Spillman inked a story today which quotes Rainier Spencer, UNLV professor of African-American Studies, defending Harry Reid. Rainier says he doesn’t see why Harry Reid should apologize “other than using the archaic word Negro.” Three questions:
(1) Would Rainier have taken the same position had Harry used the other archaic “N word”?
(2) Why is Spillman, purportedly an objective reporter, quoting a liberal university professor about a political story on race, but not a conservative?
(3) Why are Nevada taxpayers funding useless “African-American Studies” programs at UNLV, especially in these tough budgetary times?
Spillman, by the way, also took the opportunity today to word-process another negative Sue Lowden story where there wasn’t one. In “Lowden’s stance a contrast to year ago,” Spillman tries to make it seem as though Lowden said one thing about Reid and race a year ago over the Roland Burris flap and another thing now over the “Negro” flap. Not.
A year ago Lowden, as Chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, said Harry Reid wasn’t a racist. She hasn’t changed that opinion one iota over this “Negro” business. She simply said yesterday that Reid’s comments were “outrageous” and “racially charged” – which they were. You need an awfully large rubber band to stretch that into calling Reid a racist and insinuating that somehow Lowden’s positions on the two incidents are diametrically opposed.
There simply was no story here. Must have been a slow news day.
Meanwhile, the fact that Clark County School Superintendent Walt Rulffes is one of four finalists for “Superintendent of the Year” indicates that the award is about as credible as Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize – in ANY dialect. Clark County’s public schools suck by just about any measure. Yet Rulffes is up for “Superintendent of the Year”? What a joke.
The union-owned Clark County Commission awarded a paving contract to a union contractor despite a competing bid by a non-union contractor which would have cost taxpayers $4 million less. A judge last week ordered the commission to give the contract to the non-union low bidder instead of the commission’s union overlords. To which Commissioner Tom Collins responded by charging that the judge ruled in favor of the non-union contractor because the judge, like the non-union contractor’s lawyer, are both Mormon.
They’re also light-skinned with no detectable Negro dialect.
There’s a new blog in town. Slash Politics made its debut on Monday. No, it’s not written by former Assemblywoman Francis Allen. It’s a new-and-improved (but not lemon-scented) political blog by our cyber-friend Steve Sebelius. Check it out and bookmark it. www.slashpolitics.com
Speaking of Slash Politics, Sebelius reports today that “Dave Berns, the former host of KNPR-FM 88.9’s State of Nevada radio program, has signed on to work for state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford. Berns confirmed today that he’s doing ‘pretty much anything he [Horsford] asks for,’ including writing speeches.” Hopefully with no detectable Negro dialect.
And finally, not only do the rounds of Lincoln Day dinners begin in earnest for Republicans next month, but their bi-annual county conventions, as well. If the 17 Nevada counties want to really spice up their confabs, each one ought to make plans now to include a “straw poll” for, at the very least, the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races. It would make the get-togethers far more interesting.
