Nevada's Misfit Child

If one were to liken the cities and towns of Nevada to children in a family, Las Vegas most definitely would be Nevada’s problem child.

While Nevada’s cities generally are proper, practical and benevolent, Las Vegas is vulgar, flamboyant and self-centered. While Nevada’s cities generally are sincere, sensitive and friendly, Las Vegas is artificial, crass and pitiless. In short, Las Vegas is the kid brother who outgrew his family’s frontier values and roots as well as his britches.

One has only to be the right mixture of historian and psychologist, however, to understand how this bitter misfortune befell our otherwise upstanding family. Simply put, Las Vegas doesn’t fit in because its past is rooted not in Nevada but in Arizona.

When Nevada was admitted to the Union in 1864 its southern boundary was not set as it is today. The southern portion of what is now Nye County and all of what is now Clark County were part of the Arizona Territory.

In 1866 Congress generously offered to Nevada an unsightly horn-shaped expanse of rock and sand that was protruding awkwardly from Arizona’s northwest corner. The territory was optimistically calling this unproductive and revolting tract of unsettled dust Mojave County. As there was no comparable horn poking out of the other side of Arizona, it is supposed Congress thought the uncouth young territory needed some judicious trimming.

In 1867 Nevada’s legislature, at the urging of Governor Blasdel, said yes to Congress’ kind invitation. The jagged and appalling bump was then severed from Arizona, over anguished shrieks of protest, and grafted onto Nevada’s posterior. Congress, ever in search of balance and symmetry, was now well satisfied. Arizona, on the other hand, felt betrayed, and grew sullen and moody.

In the early 1900s a railroad was constructed across the furthermost reaches of southern Nevada. Out of that promiscuous and frenzied merger of steel rails and former Arizona dirt Las Vegas was born. Eventually the homely and precocious village grew into a city, and because its parentage was murky and dubious, it developed mental problems and went through an identity crisis. In order to prove it was Nevada’s most sophisticated and successful city, it has for many years been over-compensating and behaving like a fool.

One, of course, does not like to speak unkindly of a family member, but there in a nutshell you have it, the gruesome tale of how Arizona Territory lost a hideous antler and how Las Vegas, Nevada’s misfit child, was born out of it.

Unfortunately the story does not end there. Now our malignant sibling to the south wants to greedily siphon water from other areas of the state to continue its excessive and wanton lifestyle. And it is making frightening progress.

So what can we do? What steps can decent Nevadans take to stop this unrestrained fiend, this malevolent monster we once called a brother?

There remains to us one tempting solution, a long shot, to be sure, but one that must be seriously considered by all respectable Nevadans.

If the citizens of Arizona are willing to take it back, we could return to them that now festering, ghastly bulge they formerly and proudly were calling Mojave County.

Individuals

A nation is composed of individuals. If those individuals are strong and enterprising, the nation is strong and enterprising. On the other hand, if the na-tion is comprised of weak, sluggish individ-uals, the nation itself is weak and sluggish.

With that in mind, one might expect govern-ment to be fully en-gaged in a determined effort to cultivate strong, capable individuals. After all, in a competitive and often ruthless world, it would seem absurd and irrational to be doing otherwise.

So why is our government doing otherwise? Why is our government so intent upon tempering or removing all of life’s realities and challenges, all the things that make individuals strong and resilient? Why is our government ceaselessly devising programs aimed at reducing the vigor, stamina and hardiness of its individual citizens? Why is our government so bent upon creating an incompetent and enfeebled society? Don’t our leaders, our highly paid public servants in Washington, see that government assistance can be carried to the point where it is hindering us more than it is helping us? Can’t they see that by continuing to implement these unsound policies they are undermining the very security of our nation?

Americans, as we are all aware, have never been ordinary individuals. Historically they have been daring and determined individuals. We must remember that we are the children of individuals who crossed a dangerous sea in fragile boats to come to a new and untamed land. We are the children of individuals who stood up to and fought a mighty nation to gain freedom and independence. We are the children of individuals who traversed mountains and deserts to find better opportunities for themselves and their families. We are the children of individuals who fought two world wars, not to preserve our nation alone but to rescue the entire world from the grip of tyranny. We are the children of individuals who voluntarily and unflinchingly faced harsh realities and difficult challenges, and grew stronger because of it. Do we want to be remembered as the generation that abandoned that path, that discarded those proud and rich traditions?

I certainly don’t. And if you don’t either, it’s time we started saying no thanks to government. It’s time we started squarely facing life’s uncertainties and challenges. It’s time we started being accountable for our actions. It’s time we began making our own way again, as individuals.

The survival of our nation depends on it.

Until You Need It Again

Now that Christmas is over, there are a few things that need to be taken care of as you make the burden-some transition back to normal life. 1.) Strip the house and tree of all decorations and ornaments. 2.) Stuff them any old way you can back into their dusty storage boxes and stow them in the garage. 3.) Take the now naked and bewildered looking tree out to the curb so the sanitation crew can properly dispose of it. 4.) Push your “Christmas Spirit” to the very back of your mind where it will be well out of the way until you need it again next season.

Happy New Year!

Blessed are the Pure in Heart...

Many years ago on a still and starry night, lowly shepherds were tending their flock in a grassy meadow high above a small village. Only the soft rustling of the wind and the occasional bleating of a lamb interrupted the silence and serenity that blanketed the land.

What the shepherds did not know, indeed, no one knew, was that in the village far below, in a dimly lit stable, a miracle of supreme importance had occurred. It was so significant, in fact, that an angel, encompassed with the dazzling radiance of God’s glory, was sent forth from heaven to declare the extraordinary news.

But the angel did not go, as might have been expected, to the high and the mighty or to the rich and the powerful; instead the angel went to the humble shepherds, the herdsmen who were faithfully watching over their flock by night, high above the village.

Not surprisingly, the sudden appearance of an angel greatly frightened the coarsely dressed and timid shepherds. But the angel, seeing their fear, said to them: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Some might ask: Why were the shepherds, of all people, visited by the angel and the heavenly multitude? Why were these unrefined sheepherders extended so special an invitation to see the Christ child?

This is only a guess, but perhaps God wanted to recognize them as the very epitome of good shepherds, shepherds who faithfully and valiantly look after their flock, whatever the danger to themselves. But He may have seen within them something more, something that truly is rare and exceptional among men.

He may have peered deep into their hearts and saw that they were pure.

Merry Christmas!

So Long As There Are Virginias

We are approach-ing Christ-mas, and in light of some things the federal govern-ment has been doing of late, I thought it might be appropriate to clear up, especially for all you hopeful but wavering Virginias out there, a few growing and insidious misconceptions about this special season.

First, there is indeed a Santa Claus. Make no mistake about that. But the authentic Santa Claus is not the federal government. The real Santa Claus is that rotund, jovial fellow who personifies the true spirit of giving. He is that rosy cheeked old gentleman who lives at the north pole, and who employs a legion of highly skilled elves, each one happily and incessantly engaged in the production of toys. He is that bewhiskered and boisterous character who magically circles the globe every Christmas Eve in a sleigh drawn by eight reindeer. He is one of our most endearing and charming symbols of Christmas. He is jolly old St. Nick, and he has been lighting up the eyes of children for generations.

Second, there is indeed a Savior. Make no mistake about that. But the authentic Savior is not the federal government. The authentic Savior is the Babe born in a stable who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. He is not a symbol of Christmas, He is Christmas. Furthermore, His gift of salvation is available to all, not just to a well connected few in the banking and auto industries. And His is not a fleeting and temporary salvation, it is lasting and eternal. He does not lie; indeed, He is the great bearer of truth. His love for us is not superficial and calculating, it is genuine. He is Christ the Lord, our Redeemer, and He has been lifting the spirits of the downcast and disheartened for 2000 years.

During this holiday season it might be beneficial to remember, Virginia, that there are genuine sources of hope, comfort, joy and contentment. But the federal government is not among those sources. In fact, the things that bring to us the most solace and happiness, at this time of the year or any time of the year, are often the things we can neither see nor touch. They are the treasured images and deeply held convictions we keep safely tucked away in the securest recesses of our hearts and souls.

No Virginia, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are not Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. And they most assuredly are not saviors or redeemers of the world, as they often portray themselves to be. They have absolutely nothing in common with Santa Claus and the only characteristic they share with the Almighty is that they too giveth and taketh away. But be of good cheer, Virginia, for Harry and Nancy can give and take only those things that are transient and temporary, not the things that truly matter, not the precious things you keep tightly locked in your heart.

One final thought, Virginia. One that I want you to remember forever. If House Speakers and Senate Majority Leaders were ever permitted to pose as Santa Claus or our beloved Savior, even briefly, the world would very quickly and most certainly deteriorate into a grim and despairing place. Why, such a turn of events might even set off a rapid return to the dark ages! So don’t ever let a politician beguile you into believing, no matter how convincing or kindly he or she may appear to be, that they are now Santa Claus, or that they have displaced and superseded the true Redeemer of the world. For so long as there are bona fide Virginias in the world, people like yourself who genuinely yearn to believe in real generosity, love and compassion, these slippery charlatans can never succeed in carrying out their villainous ambitions.

The Earth is God's

Whenever we get to thinking the world is unrav-eling fast, it is help-ful to remember that God created the world and that He undoubtedly has a plan for it. After all, it is hard to imagine God going to the trouble of creating something, like a world, for example, that He wasn’t going to keep an eye on and look after. At least until its purpose was accomplished. And He surely must have known that the moment He put people on it, He was imperiling it.

We may fuss about the world and its future, but I suppose things are going to wind up about the way God thought they would. And whatever it was He was hoping to gain from all His trouble, I suppose He will net about what He expected.

But if God’s got this whole planet in the palm of His hand, does that mean we’re just along for the ride? Some say yes and some say no, but if we can learn from our mistakes, hadn’t we ought to at least try to make a difference? Granted, we may not affect the outcome much, but what could it hurt if we came to our senses a little and tried to make the world slightly better?

Sure, the earth is God’s, but He’s letting us live here, so why not try to be more thoughtful tenants?

Join the Cause!

The America of our ancestors is slipping away; however, we must understand that victory always goes to those who have planned, prepared and followed through.

Ours may be a government of the people, by the people and for the people, but it will remain our government only in so far as we are willing to do whatever is necessary to keep it in our hands. What is most necessary, and always has been, is to be actively and sincerely engaged in all our political duties as citizens, the most fundamental of those duties being the development of a thorough understanding of why our government is vastly superior to all others. If we are incapable of appreciating the true value of something, then we may thoughtlessly bargain it away in exchange for something of lesser value.

Any free government, including our own, is constantly exposed to various destructive influences. In the maintenance of government, citizens either stay ahead of these damaging forces or their government, by default or neglect, is gradually transformed into something else. Sadly, at the present time it would appear that the forces earnestly engaged in transforming our government into something else are much more dedicated to the task of reconfiguring it than we are to the task of preserving it.

What we lack, and what the forces of destruction have, is an absolute devotion to a cause. They have a goal. They have studied and analyzed ways and means of achieving it. And they never let up. And what’s more, they will succeed if they are not stopped.

But to stop them, we too must become committed to a cause, utterly and unwaveringly committed to it. Our cause must be the noble cause of keeping our government safely in our hands and the hands of our children, where it rightfully belongs and where our Founders intended it to be.

If we wish to succeed, however, we must shape ourselves into a force mightier and more skillful than the one that is marshaled against us. Each of us must gain a full understanding and appreciation of our unique political landscape, and where all the vital points are on that landscape. These crucial points may be discovered in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the various writings of the Founders as well as the political thinkers they drew upon. These documents and writings lay out the strategic strongholds, the high ground and the bulwarks the enemy will need to take in order to subdue us. They already have seized or neutralized many critical positions, and these actions have given them a distinct and powerful advantage. We must educate ourselves so that we may recognize and understand more fully their ruinous plans, so that we may see and anticipate their upcoming blows and strikes, and like good soldiers be positioned to repel them and stop them.

The time for being disengaged and ill-informed is over. Our fight is not the fight to secure for ourselves the so-called good things of life--spacious homes, luxury automobiles and designer clothing. This is the bigger fight. This is the fight to prevent ruthless tyrants, supported by a virtual army of duped and mindless minions, from making slave of us and our posterity.

Remember, any cause devoid of dedicated supporters is a lost cause. Please support the cause of freedom!

If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose that freedom; and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that, too.
--Somerset Maugham