Homeward Bound:

Even Happy Trails Come To An End

2012-01-30T19:37:00.000-08:00

by Cliff Harrison

I'm in the process of moving several of my blogs to my websites. On my self-hosted websites I have plenty of room to move all of my blogs and still have space for expansion. It will be much easier to meet deadlines and operate running a few websites that I totally control rather than putting up with the constant changes being made at companies like Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Facebook and others.

After the shutdown of AOL Journals and Microsoft Spaces the unstableness of companies like those and what Google and Blogger are presenting will leave too much work to chance being lost. Google has proven to be an unstable company with yet more recent changes. The upcoming privacy policy invades even more privacy. In its statement it reads that if you don't agree with Google's policy you shouldn't use Google. We don't and we won't. Google, did you hear that? Okay? Got It?

I've been in business my entire life. I always told my subordinates, "Our customers don't need us, we need them. We depend upon our customers, they don't depend upon us, they can always go elsewhere." Google, did you hear that? We don't need you. You do need us.

We don't need Google. Google is finished and isn't much different than a fine racehorse with a broken leg or a fine ship called the Titanic that has opened up full speed ahead on the open sea, blind of the ice field directly ahead.

Even fine racehorses go down and fine ships sink, too. They sink to the bottom of the sea and that's our bet where the Google & Company will end up someday soon.

My moving adventure will take some time. I will partially consolidate the blogs I move from Blogger and slowly withdraw them from Google-own sites and services as I have time. When I read a few months ago how Blogger wasn't going to be around long, and WordPress was going to take all of their business, I didn't believe it. Believe it, it is true. I'll be blogging about it, too, I'm sure. I never much liked communist I can't see liking them now.

It's ashamed Google has decided to make all the changes they have and will make across their enterprise. It is their choice. It is my choice to leave and I will. When I finish up for a period of time I will leave the new link posted to show the new home and then after a period of time has expired I will delete the blogs and the e-mails that go with them.

I'm too sick to carry such a large number of blogs anymore. Moving most of my blog's contents to my self-hosted websites will give me better control, less work and better performance. Those posts I don't decide to move to the other websites I will archive into the archive libraries.

Without the dozens, even hundreds of Blogger blogs, AdSense, Gmails, Google+, YouTube and the WalMart of the Internet I'll be spending more time in my Mom and Pop store just kicking around the cat when he's not chasing mice. I'll be spending more time writing my books which is what my blogs were suppose to be all about anyways. So, happy trails right back to you.

Unfortunately, this will be the last post of Homeward Bound "The Homeless Voice" at Blogger. (Except for the "We Have Moved" notice that provides the link to the new home which I will have set up soon, I hope.

Thanks for joining me.
We're at the end of the trail.

We're Leaving Blogger & Google

2012-01-30T18:38:00.000-08:00

By Cliff Harrison

I've been with Blogger for many years, and Google even longer. I've come to a crossroad where Internet usage really no longer is necessary to me. Yahoo!, Microsoft, AOL, Google, YouTube, Gmail, Facebook and many others can't leave well enough alone. They constantly change things and never once ask the user if it is okay to make the changes.

None of the companies I just mentioned will be around in the next quarter century. Some will be blasted off the map before the end of the decade. Others still won't see five years from now.

Our dependence on Internet companies have made us forget we live in a real world. Our real world is stressed enough without the additional stress Internet companies and technological companies bring our way.

It's much easier to just pull the plug and go back to the old word processor to write our manuscripts and later print them up for hard copies. Except for research we could survive without the trappings of Google and its new generation of idiots.

I've been in business my entire life. One thing I can't stand is to see a good company ruined because some idiot is at the helm. I've seen a lot of great companies as well as good companies go belly up because some jerk thought he had all the answers. In the end the world learned the only talent he had was the talent that knew how to take a company down. Like the Titanic that sank one-hundred years ago this April a lot of good people went down with the ignorant crew.

It'll take some time unless I suddenly decide not to save anything and just start hitting the delete buttons. But I'm moving all of my Blogger blogs off of Goggle-controlled cyberspace. I once had a lot of great respect for Google, but who ever is running that company now is runner her in the ground and I don't want to be around when she hits the iceberg at full speed.

It's been fun Blogger, but not that much fun.

Interview Video

2012-01-18T00:01:00.001-08:00

Food Not Bombs - Las Vegas from Michael Zayas on Vimeo.

Five Feet from the Finish Line

2012-01-14T23:44:00.001-08:00

The Devil & Me
By Cliff Harrison

I shouldn't let the cat out of the bag and go spoiling a good story prematurely, but I'll tell you why I chose the title, "Five Feet from the Finish Line." That's what it feels like.

One of the stories I'll publish one day in an up and coming installment of The Devil & Me is about a snowmobile race I was in back in the 70s. There I was leading the pack darn near a half a lap ahead of the nearest snowmobile coming up on the finishing line. Five feet before the finish line my drive belt broke, stopping me dead in my tracks.

There I sat unable to even push my sled across the line for a win. I was clearly ahead for most of the race and I only had sixty inches to cross the finish line and be the winner to take home the trophy. Sixty inches!

I just shook hands with the devil and thanked him as sled after sled passed me by as if poking fun at me for being that close to a winner only to be the worst loser of the entire race--dead last.

I feel like that now. Five feet from the finish line.

I've got so many writing projects that I just know are winners but I can't even get up enough energy to get them put together and published in the organized order they need to be in. Five feet from the finish line is where I am at stuck with a broken drive belt that went just like that.

I guess today I'll make more than one entry in my journal.

I can see the finish line. I can touch the finish line. I just can't get across the finish line. It's like in my mind as if I'm a cowboy in one of those old western movies and I'm crawling in the desert trying to reach the watering hole that is really nothing but a mirage while buzzards circle overhead. I'm just about there. But almost isn't good enough and those birds of prey are starting to call out to one another communicating about the bodacious dinner that's coming up.

Better men than me would have committed suicide by now. Just end it. Put themselves out of their misery. But not me. I like hanging around and giving the devil a hard time.

There are too many demons in this world to just up and leave them. It's more fun hanging around and making their life miserable like they do God's Children.

So, I guess I'll just have to plug along and do what work I can. My writing could be so much better if I didn't have this demon inside of me holding me back while draining my energy.

Well, what do you know? I meant this to be an entry for my journal. But you know what? I just wrote a piece for The Devil & Me. Why not? Maybe I can push my sled over the finish line.

The Devil & Me is a syndicated column by Cliff Harrison

Clark County Constables: Las Vegas

2011-12-30T03:16:00.000-08:00

This video probably won't last long before being taken down from the poster. It shows an inside look at the unprofessional conduct of State regulated Clark County Constables in Las Vegas. It is the byproduct of a failed reality TV show.

A good bar of soap is in order to clean the mouths out of these boy scouts, especially the dumb supervisor, Sgt. Patrick Geary. Not too smart for a supervisor to be of bad conduct as he is while being filmed for public viewing. The entire constable's office needs to be eliminated and replaced with new public servants.

No wonder Vegas is last in anything that is good and first in anything that is bad. We have too many ignorant idiots in public office.

"We do over 300 evictions a day." --Constable John Bonaventura.
We do over 40,000 evictions a year." --Rabble-rouser Lou Toomins, the constable’s pony-tail public information officer.

Where's Penn & Teller and their BS?

There's certain to be fireworks over this video. It gives a three-ring circus a new meaning.

Clark County Library System Wastes Resources on Security

2011-09-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

By Cliff Harrison

County library hours seem set for the convenience of library staff, not library users.

Clark County has cut many of the library operations as they have on every other public service. But the incompetence of county managers shows through with county libraries more than anywhere else.

Express Computers that allow poor people to quickly check their e-mails have been eliminated. It cost the county no more to have those express computers in operation than it does to have an extra book sitting on the shelf.

The library system does not need security guards.

We, as taxpayers pay for a security force, it is called Metro Police Department, or Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) for the proper name.

If the library is in trouble call the police. There are too many security guards in public places on public property where they are not needed. Call the cops if there is a major problem. All security guards can generally do anyways if there is a disturbance is call the cops.

Why pay someone to do that? Let the library staff call law enforcement if on some occassion one is needed and it won't cost taxpayers an extra dime.

The other day while I was visiting the library looking over the used books I received a telephone call from my doctors office. Immediately an armed Allied Security guard approached me and told me I couldn’t use my cell phone in the library it was against the rules. If I wanted to use my cell phone, I was told, then take it outside.

A librarian staff could have performed the same duty.

If our libraries are so dangerous that we need two or three armed security guards on during the same shift, then we need to close the doors of our library system. Period!

But our libraries are not dangerous. The county is spending our money carelessly.

Taking that from me is a serious charge. The library system and the United State Postal Service are the only two--well one of a few-- government agencies I like with few if any complaints.

Why do we need two or three security guards on duty at once, on the same shift?

Why do we need a security guard at all? Armed or unarmed?

We don’t.

If there is a problem at the local library then the library staff needs to call Metro. It is as simple as that.

Stop wasting our money library administrators and county officials.

Get rid of the wanna-be cops and rent-a-cops with an attitude, and often serious mental problems, and leave law enforcement of our community up to the professional police department.

And after you start getting rid of the wasteful payments to Allied Barton, start bringing back real services to the people and extending library hours that coincide with normal people, workers and students that have nights and weekends off.

Although the security guards at most Clark County public libraries appear qualified, kind and generally even stoic when handling a situation there are many that are undesirables and should not be in security, let alone wearing a gun.

Some security guards have severe mental problems and Nevada gun laws and security qualifications are lax and downgraded compared to most states.

I know many security guards or persons who have held security positions in the past who are on or were on depressant drugs. Their doctors and state metal health agencies were fully aware of their depression and occupation.

Guns and drugs do not mix. Guns and metal problems do not mix. Guns and depression or emotional problems do not mix.

Public libraries and security guards do not mix.

Get rid of the security guards, extend the operating hours and reinstall the Express Computers.

As the kids say now a days, Just saying….

City Hall Shout Out Organized

2011-07-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

Food Not Bombs Las Vegas Shoutout at Las Vegas City Hall Today at 5:00PM-6:00PM. Shoutout about Orlando's inhumane ban on feeding the hungry. No limit on how loud you can shout.

Friday, July 1 · 5:00pm - 6:00pm

City Hall
400 Stewart Ave. (at Las Vegas Blvd)
Las Vegas, NV
Created by Sean D. Daily, a Las Vegas Author
For Food Not Bombs Las Vegas

From Sean's Facebook Page:
We're going to meet outside City Hall to bring attention to the City of Orlando's ban on the sharing of food with hungry people and to show solidarity with Orlando Food Not Bombs members who have been arrested as a result.

We'll have signs and flyers available detailing the issues surrounding the ban and the subsequent arrests and will be asking people to let the Orlando mayor's office know how they feel about them. You are welco...me to participate in any way you feel comfortable or to simply be there to show your support. You are also free to bring your own signs, if you should feel the urge to do so. Please tell everyone you know and encourage them to spread the word to ensure that we have as big a turnout as possible!

It's especially important that we here in Las Vegas support those in Orlando. Back in 2006, our own city government passed the same sort of ban on offering food to hungry people. Many of the members of Food Not Bombs Las Vegas, as well as FNB members, who had traveled from other cities to support us, were ticketed and even arrested for the simple act of sharing food with someone in need.

Message from Sean D. Daily
Here's contact information for Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. Please put this on any flyers or placards that you make for the Friday action. If you can't make it on Friday, take a few minutes out to call, e-mail or tweet Mayor Dyer.

Phone: 407.246.2221
Fax: 407.246.2842
E-mail: buddy.dyer@cityoforlando.net
...Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/orlandomayor
Twitter: @orlandomayor
City Twitter: @citybeautiful

Food Not Bombs Las Vegas Website

Note from Cliff: Remember in 2006 we had the same unconstitutional ordinance crafted by Mayor Oscar Goodman and the Las Vegas City Council until the federal courts struck it down and ruled the ban unconstitutional.

It's a Sad Day For Vegas

2011-06-07T23:31:00.000-07:00

By Cliff Harrison

By the time the sun comes up in the morning the victory celebration will be over with. But not the shaking of the heads of those of us baffled at the results of today's mayoral election.

With term limits preventing Oscar Goodman from running for another term, he setup his wife to take his place. Goodman has his followers and those followers out numbered those for Chris Giunchigliani. Goodman took 60% of the votes with Chris Giunchigliani taking the remaining 40%.

Do the citizens of Las Vegas really want another 4-12 years of Goodman in office? Apparently so. Well, then the good citizens of Las Vegas deserve everything they get from their brilliant voting expertise.

KLAS-TV 8 News NOW Coverage of Goodman Win
Carolyn Goodman Needs Help Voting

It is obvious from the statements of the victory speech of both Carolyn Goodman and Oscar Goodman that this is a corrupt setup to avoid obeying term limit laws. If anyone thinks Carolyn Goodman will make her own decisions they are deceived. Oscar will clearly make the decisions and it is clear his agenda will be continued.

A democracy does not exist in Las Vegas. A dictatorship exists, but a dictatorship at the will of the people. The citizens of Las Vegas have indeed earned their reputation of being the dumbest city on the planet earth by a landslide.

Cliff Harrison Now Supports Chris Giunchigliani for Mayor of Las Vegas

2011-05-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

By Cliff Harrison

My previous words have not been kind about Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani. (Giunchigliani: june-kil-e-ah-nee.) We are at the extreme opposite ends of political convictions. I have been extremely outspoken in the past against Chris Giunchigliani for her work as a local politician, as a county commissioner, a board member of RTC, UMC, and several other issues concerning the community especially homelessness.

Due to the circumstances with a choice between Carolyn Goodman, the wife of Oscar Goodman, the ruthless dictator against the homeless and Chris Giunchigliani, I now support and endorse Chris Giunchigliani as the next mayor of Las Vegas and encourage you to do the same.

The following is a statement from Las Vegas mayoral candidate, Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, in response to my communication with her.

I had sent her this message:

Chris;
Oscar Goodman and his administration was hostile toward the homeless and in many cases abusive and even illegal. How do you intend to treat the homeless and poor citizens of Las Vegas if you become mayor? What exactly would you do? --Cliff Harrison

She replied with this eloquent response:

Hi Cliff,
Thanks for your question. First, we should not lump all homeless into the same category. I’ve taught homeless children who were part of an entire family sleeping in one small car. I’ve known elderly whose apartments were torn down and converted and they lacked the money for a new deposit and the transportation to get there. I’ve met with homeless veterans suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) or TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), and I’ve gone out after midnight to assist in taking a census of the homeless. I know that some have mental disorders, are unable or unwilling to take their medications, and sometimes self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. Some simply just don’t want to be a part of “regular” society. And others are just like some of your neighbors—one paycheck away from economic collapse.

These different groups must be approached differently. But I believe each person must be treated as compassionately as possible. I do know that forcing homeless out of one area only forces them into another—it doesn’t solve the problem. For some, there may be no “solution.” For others, shelter, showers, and durable footwear make the difference. Working with the County Administrator to handle Social Security checks can help. Medical and psychological assistance is needed. We can’t allow people to use homeowners’ lawns as their toilets, but throwing the homeless into jail doesn’t solve the problem either—and it’s very costly to taxpayers.

We have to break this into parts, and coordinate activities to reduce duplication and increase coverage. I strongly believe that charitable groups can show us the way, and in this case government should often follow instead of lead. Government can fill a function by providing humane shelters from the stifling heat of summer, the cold of winter, and spread them out instead of clustering all of the homeless into a single area. I know it isn’t always popular, but as Mayor I will not bulldoze down a homeless encampment until there is an alternative available to the human beings who live there.

Hope that answers your question. Early voting is now underway, would love to have your vote.

Thanks for reaching out,
Chris

　I appreciate Commissioner Giunchigliani's prompt reply. As evident she applied careful thought and time in her response and I thought an accurate description of the homeless situation which means she could, as mayor, deliver an end to the atrocities of the homeless in the Las Vegas Valley.

Until election day we'll be discussing this issue but for now let's absorb this statement and judge what alternative we have if we do not elect Chris Giunchigliani as mayor. What do we have to look forward to with a Goodman win? Another 12 years of human rights violations? You've got the conch. It's your turn to speak.

Is Vegas Healthy?

2011-03-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

By Cliff Harrison

They say Vegas will bounce back. But will it?

You basically have two choices. To listen to the “experts“… or to listen to me.

I’ll place the “old media”, meaning objects like the Las Vegas Sun and their strategic reporting of so-called expert, against the opinion of the opposition, the ‘new media”, which are guys like me.

When I say you have two basic choices I’m referring to your drawing a decision of which way you think Vegas will go… eventually. To listen to me, in reality is to listen to yourself, since that is all I am trying to convince you. I’m not trying to convince you to really listen to me, but to educate yourself so that you can make your own decision.

The “experts” usually don’t know crap about anything, yet folks that run newspapers and magazines tend to pay them for their advice. These experts, some at our fine universities, are often funded by other sources, such as your tax dollars, sponsors, grants, which are again, your tax dollar and from means that in a capitalistic society they often would not survive.

You on the other hand, simply need to walk out your door and walk down the street and keep your eyes open for the sign of the times. If you prefer, you can drive, but walking about the people educates you so much better because you get a feel of what the people are saying because you talk to them, you listen to them, you see them. In other words, you are not living in a glasshouse sucking on a silver spoon.

But even if you are a bed-ridden invalid, I can show you how to tell if Vegas is going to survive or not. I can show you how to tell if Vegas is healthy or not. All you need is your laptop commuter and tune in to me. At worst, a newspaper in which you can collect the articles of the day’s stories. Even without me you can make an intelligent decision which way above the water level Vegas is going to go, above or below.

Assuming you can put some things together yourself, I’m only going to give you a handful of examples of just what’s going on. In other words, I’ll mention only a few of the failures or near failures of big and small businesses alike that have occurred in Vegas since the plastic goose of the Great Recession decided to lay a rotten egg.

Watch the Billboards

As I’ve mentioned in other articles, there are too many blank, “available” bill boards scattered around town. Although they have improved over previous months, far too many are still available for advertising to claim Vegas is anywhere near close to a recovery.

Add Up All the Negatives

Jot down on a legal pad or induce some form of keeping score for all the negative things that are happening in a community where things stay. Vegas is on the short list of everything that is bad with a long list of bad things listed. What was once a boomtown is now a dying town. The town where for more than twenty years that was the fastest growing down in America has one of the fastest shrinking populations. People are flocking not to Vegas, but away from Vegas.

We’re number one on almost every list of something bad happening. And I won’t even go into having $600,000 a year salaried, union protected, firefighters. Grossly over paid and under worked government workers in all levels of government. Corruption in every level of government. And a host of other negatives if one has been paying attention to news reports and collected any kind of data on the true environment of Vegas. There’s tons of things I could discuss, but I can’t and won’t because this is not Vegas 101 and it’s not an encyclopedia, it’s an article, so I need to keep the word-length reasonable. Therefore we’re going to skip a lot of things, but unlike what the university professors, the Las Vegas Sun and the expert tell you about being dumb and belonging to the ‘dumbest” city in the country, I know you are not as dumb as they say you are, that in fact you are intelligent, maybe even more intelligent than they are… so since I need to abbreviate and let you do your own research on all the “bad” things in Vegas and how we rate the worst of the worst in all the worst stuff, let’s pass the meat and potatoes and get eating this story of just how healthy Vegas really is.

A few years ago, within the last decade almost every casino in town were million-dollar casinos, all but paid for. The population of locals and tourist alike broke new records yearly. The passenger traffic at McCarran increased year over year from the previous years. The number of homes built and homes sold and cars, new and used, and big ticket items like furniture sold, smashed previous years sales records.

The amount of taxes taken in by governments for all sources skyrocket with each new month as Vegas circled the Merry-Go-Round of Planet Earth.

Those multi-million dollar bought and paid for casinos (as well as lots of other Vegas businesses) were being knocked down with the wrecking ball. In Vegas it’s called “implosion” by explosion. In their place went up multi-billion dollar casinos that were heavily mortgaged. At the same time numerous smaller casinos became part of a larger group in which fewer people owned more casinos and their executives started getting paid millions of dollars per year to manage them.

So, we’ve gone from having a paid-for house that we managed ourselves to a heavily mortgaged skyscraper paying outrages salaries to have someone else manage. “Built it and the people will come“, they said.
And for awhile they did. But then… they stopped coming.

In the meantime along came a shyster named Oscar Goodman a renowned mob attorney that got a couple of mob figures, a hit man and his boss, off of murder charges for assassinating of all people a federal judge. Now, this federal judge was snuffed out without his killers ever being punished for their crime, thanks to the brilliant lawyer one Oscar Goodman.

Goodman could not decide the outcome of this murder case of a federal judge alone. He needed help. It took a jury to convict or release the accused. It makes one wonder what kind of people could sit on a jury like that and give Oscar Goodman a victory.

The clear answer is the same kind of people who not only gave him a victory to serve twelve years as mayor, but to extend his reign on Vegas for another twelve years by slyly setting his wife, Carolyn, up to run for the political office he continues to hold, behind the scene or otherwise.

Carolyn Goodman is not yet mayor of Las Vegas, but all indications show she will be unless the opposition is strong enough in the next few days to drastically change the political weather.

The Las Vegas Sun favors Goodman and gives her free press coverage in the sly works of so-called articles. The wife of a deceased former governor of Nevada publicly states her husband would have endorsed the Goodman parasite team.

And so, that is your first clue Vegas will fall and fall hard. Everything Goodman has touched has turned rotten. Parasite people support parasite politicians and parasite people support parasite agendas.

The City of Evil will become a dust bowl within the next decade. People are finding new fads in non-gaming lifestyles. And that’s all gaming has been in the last decade, a new fad.

Countless Goodman projects around town have gone belly up or sit unoccupied. From tall and expensive condominiums that were suppose to attract the jet set to downtown entertainment and business projects all have failed. Yet the parasites of Vegas continue to support the mob lawyer who against the people’s will built a mob museum as he’s build many things against the will of the people. And Carolyn, if she wins the mayor seat will likely continue to build his parasite havens.

The MGM Grand gaming group had a near fatal fate within recent months over the CityCenter controversy. It still is not home safe. MGM group has a huge nut to crack and if things turn south the dominoes that will tumble that gaming conglomerate will create a dust storm that will reach the skies of Asia.

The Sahara has gone under. The Riviera is on life-support. Planet Hollywood has its number of headlines. Hard Rock Casino on Paradise road isn’t enjoying a paradise time. The New Frontier gave way like its old time neighbor, the Star Dust, to empty dusty lots of nothing happening.

The Tropicana has suffered challenging times as has it’s neighbor, Hooters, the old San Remo, Downtown casinos and hotels have closed or reduced business including the Plaza. Binions, and others and they all struggle to meet next month’s payments.

The Stratosphere, the towering icon that can be seen from anywhere in Vegas and lays along Las Vegas Blvd between the Strip and Downtown, has been in the news recently about possible financial troubles. Station Casinos had its bankruptcy as did many others.

It would be easier to list the casinos that were not losing money or going belly up, or having had financial troubles. There were no such casinos. Perhaps, just perhaps one or two of them may belong to the Sam Boyd group, a chain of local casinos, but even Boyd doesn’t own the bragging rights to this recession story.

Thousands of workers have been laid off from all of the above casinos and everyday more loose their jobs.

I won’t even go there about the home and business foreclosures in which Vegas is a leader. The only time Vegas leads in anything is when it leads in something bad, like unemployment, foreclosures, crime, suicides, police shootings, population loss and a long list of other life-threatening ills.

And yes, we took the number one spot for being the dumbest city in America. Although the negative press coverage should have read, Vegas has the dumbest leadership and experts, but no, it said you, Joe and Jane Citizen, were the dumbest of American spawns.

I don’t think Joe and Jane Citizen are that dumb at all. Maybe a lot of them are homeless, people who lost their jobs and homes, the kind of folks Oscar Goodman and his thugs and those communists running for mayor have proven to hate and have used hostile and aggressive and illegal acts against. Unfortunate, but not dumb.

So when the smart ones in town, the crowd from the higher education, like the university jocks, Goodman’s crowd, the Las Vegas Sun and their Animal Farm crew and all the other Darwin species who migrated from the world of parasites along their Darwinism Superhighway to dominate the lives of those like you who were practicing democracy before they snuck up on you, and tells you Vegas has a future tell them “it ain’t so!”

Tell them Vegas is gone and it ain’t coming back. Tell them Vegas will become a dust bowl before it becomes the vibrant town it once was. And tell them they might be able to still find cheap furniture at a lawn sale over at the furniture outlets at the World Market Center, another one of Goodman’s projects and big dreams that is collapsing. Yup, chalk up the World Market Center into the history of the Goodman Failure of Hall of Frame.

The World Market Center which steals its name from the World Trade Center is within walking distance of another Goodman idea of progress, a brain center that is a sham of architecture design that represents the fallen World Trade Center towers.

The news of the World Market Center financial woes is not surprising, it’s expected. It’s just more dust in the wind. The wind that will weather against Vegas and make her the dust bowl I’ve been foretelling about.

Vegas can not win the last game it plays because it’s hand has already been folded.

Vegas is not dying. Vegas is dead. It is dead because it doesn’t have it’s own originality. It copies from misfortunes of others and dooms itself with the stale leadership of parasites. A leadership of parasites, by parasites, for parasites.

You tell me. Is Vegas healthy?

The last sand of the Vegas desert is about to pass through the hourglass of time. And when it does, an era will come to an end.

How's your figuring coming?

Las Vegas Has No Hope of Recovery

2011-02-19T14:11:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas Sun Anti-Sharron Angle Front Page Coverage

A Political Commentary
By Cliff Harrison

As long as the hard-core liberals, socialist and communist and Nazis that dominate the Las Vegas Valley refuse to let the conservatives lead them out of economical destruction there is no hope of recovery.

As long as the greedy and corrupt politicians like dictators Mayor Oscar Goodman (or his pawn wife, Carolyn), City Councilman Gary Reese, Clark County Commissioner Larry Brown and Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchiglia, Sheriff Doug Gillespie and other corrupt officials are still in office, there will be no recovery for Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, this community has a large number of undesirable people and those undesirable people support and vote for undesirable elected officials who lead the community down the wrong path.

Those disconnected and misguided individuals who do nothing but commit sins and engage in or support such deviant behavior that make many of us cringe refuse to use common sense.

The Las Vegas Sun, an ultra-liberal press, continues to support the most deranged of individuals for public office. The unfair and unbalanced Las Vegas Sun has always given their own favorite candidate for public office extensive coverage and endorsements.

Using their newspaper, after it is supported by advertisers and the revenues generated from advertisement, the Las Vegas Sun provides free campaign coverage for their chosen politicians by publishing a remarkably high number of “articles” or stories about their favorite candidates.

In the case of Sharron Angle the Las Vegas Sun smeared the best choice for the U.S. Senate with propaganda and plastering the front page of the newspaper and the online newspaper website with negative ads, reports, stories, articles and photographs of Sharron Angle in favor of their long-time favorite, corrupt and harmful Harry Reid.

Too, the media allows fictionalized screen names , anonymously-commented comments and pen names of people controlling the discussions and remarks of the press in their publication. I suspect a great number of these individuals secretly commenting are staff, employees of the publication, and/or of the political campaigns that are at issue.

The motivation for such would be, of course, to stimulate more discussions and comments, thus raising the level of comments and readership and selling more advertisement for a higher value due to the the heightened readership.

That is only a speculation on my part, however, as there is no proof such conditions exist.

That same media, the Las Vegas Sun, is connected in media partnership with Jim Rogers TV Channel 3.

Rogers is a powerful, and vocal Las Vegas figure of whom is not always wrong in his public statements and opinions but seems to be on the wrong team sometimes.

Just reading the comments in the Las Vegas Sun alone, comments made by the nastiest, dirtiest, filthiest, scums on the face of God’s earth, you can gage the feelings and voice of a degenerate population.

Because of this population, people with little or no morals, people with little or no compassion for fellow human being, people with little or no respect for other people, people who are inherently evil, spoil Las Vegas.

These same people are the ones who are mean and nasty to tourists, those who contribute to the survival of Las Vegas, Las Vegas’ customers, both in person; on the streets, in the casinos, in the retail stores, on the transportation system, in real life and in the media.

They inherently think it is their right to tell tourists or any one making a comment or opinion to stay out of town, “we don’t need you!” or “hitch up a U-haul and get out of town if you don’t like the way we do business here in Vegas, because we don’t want you or need you.”

They don't need customers? They don't need tourists? They don't need people in the community to help pay for the infrastructure and public services?

Of course they don't because they are communists from California and retired government workers who have sucked the blood out of America's veins with their lifetime welfare benefits paid for by the taxpayers.

A good number of the degenerates I speak of are hard-line lefties from California. Government workers and sponges of taxpayer dollars, the government retirees, the life-long welfare recipients and nasty black panther Clark County Social Service workers who abuse the integrity of their office--and their inbred friends and relatives.

Firefighters and government workers who rape the taxpayers with outrageous salaries and benefits and defend their actions as a right or entitlement while such has largely gone unchecked by the elected officials and law enforcement officials responsible for the taxpayer's purse.

When the community had money the thieves in government and nonprofit were never suspected of being criminals, corrupt or greedy by the elected officials that were placed in office in a position of trust. More often than not, those same politicians were corrupt themselves and anything that could sell a vote was done.

Not until the public treasury was broke did the wolves feeding upon the lambs be discovered and disclosed to the public. Not until the community lost its security in finances did the spotlight shine on the foxes in the chicken coop. Foxes with fresh blood dripping from their jaws. Foxes with chicken feathers caught between their teeth.

While the rest of the community was busy working, doing their jobs and trying to raise a family and be productive members of society, the sly foxes were sneaking into the chicken coop with the help from the liberals from Animal Farm.

Nobody was watching the watchmen.

Las Vegas as we once knew her has vanished. She will never come back. She will never be the same. She will never have hopes for a sense of real community. The concrete walls around virtually every home in Vegas is testimony to a neighborhood of people apart from their neighbors, the proof there is lack of community, a hostility and turf claim rather than a sharing, open environment.

Gone are the things that attracted people to Vegas for more than twenty years, once making it the fastest growing community in America. Gone is a way of life where many could prosper in good jobs. Gone are the days of decent casino comps that rewarded players without bogged down contracts. Gone are the days where you could win once in awhile and have fun.

And when there is no fun, there isn’t any sense in playing the game anymore.

In the end, the real loser of the game will be Las Vegas herself. She’s been winning for as long as she has stood, but she can’t win anymore. The wrong people manage her. When she falls she will be the real loser in the game. A final and deadly game.

And when the chips fall, Las Vegas will be history.

When will she ultimately fall? That's any body's guess. Any body's gamble. Vegas can take odds on herself. A roll of the dice, a ball dropping in the slot of a roulette wheel, a pull on the one-arm bandit. The results are always the same. In the end the house always wins. Not this time. This time she will fall. As sure as all winning steaks eventually come to an end, she will fall. God's house will win over the evil of man.

She will be among those listed in the category of that which was once-a-boomtown that have decayed into nonexistence. A boomtown that is no more. Dust in the wind.

An era in history that will close the curtain on prosperity in Vegas and make her a another Western ghost town where the skeletons in the desert are the only remains that remind anyone she was ever here.

The local Vegans, the hard-core liberals, refuse to change their minds or to comprise. They refuse to admit their own mistakes or their own ignorance. They refuse to share in the blame for anything that has gone wrong. They can only blame those who are not Animal Farmer liberals. They'll be blaming Bush for the next hundred years.

Las Vegas, a town that used to be number one in many good things, is now number one in almost everything bad and every category of negative events. And it is the hard-core liberals who are at the wheels of Las Vegas now and then. They are the ones who got us here, and since they refuse to change it is unlikely we will be going anywhere. They are the driver who got us stuck in the rut and it’s unlike they are going to help us out of this rut.

When the Las Vegas Sun goes down permanently and sets, the evils of darkness will go with it.

The Vegans I speak of only want to soak in unlimited sin and evil. With that, it appears their wants, needs and desires have come true.

Are Wealthy People Bad People?

2011-02-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

By Cliff Harrison

The rich get more bad press than anyone else, even if the owners of the press that is squealing are rich pigs themselves.

Slavery is often a condition of the mind. A master can be good or evil, greedy or kind by sharing. Someone who works for an employer who takes as good care of his employees as his employee do him is working for a better employer than one who uses an iron fist to rule his workers.

You’ll always hear about the abusive employer, but you seldom here about the cheating, freeloading employee who robs the employer blind.

Wealth and employment are two way streets. Once they become one-way streets somebody looses.

It is not rather one is rich or poor. The rich are attacked, constantly, by the liberals. Rather one is rich or poor makes no difference in the end results of anything.

It is the attitude, the composition, the character of the person that matters.

If a billionaire gives millions to worthy causes, rather it be homeless shelters, food banks, or other welfare causes, does that make him or her bad simply because he or she is wealthy?

One might speculate and say, “Yeah, but they don’t give to the homeless shelters, food banks or other welfare causes, their charity is the Republican party.”

Do they know that? Can they proof that? No! They are just shooting off at the mouth.

The measure of a person’s character is and ought to be what he does not what he is. Let me rephrase this. The measure of a person’s character is and ought to be what he does with his money, not by the fact he is wealthy or poor.

If he shares with others, and does not hoard all of his wealth for himself, his family and friends, then he can’t be all that bad. If he lives an honest life, takes care of himself and his family and doesn't cheat other people, or take advantage of other people, in anyway, then he is usually of good character. Rather he is rich or poor makes no difference.

We need the wealthy. We need business, big and small. We need employers. But what we need most is good, wealthy employers and less evil rich employers.

Sharing is the key measurement of good character. Greed is the key measurement of evil or bad character. It is not hard to distinguish between the two. Being rich or poor has absolutely nothing to do with it, despite what the Animal Farm characters would have you believe.

Somebody always has to do what somebody else can't or won't do.

Somebody has to slop the hogs.

Chris Giunchigliani Enters Mayor Race

2011-02-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

Mayor Race Attracts the Corrupt

The City of Las Vegas mayor race is attracting all of the corrupt career politicians. Clark County Commissioners Chris Giunchigliani has entered the race.

Giunchigliani sits on the RTC board, a Nazi board that abuses the homeless and poor citizens in the community of Las Vegas.

The Liberal newspaper, the Las Vegas Sun, fails to report the abusive and often illegal acts by the city and county officials, including this Giunchigliani. With a large communist supportive readership, the rag repeatedly reports fake "homelessness" reports and turns its back on the truly needy of Sin City.

Giunchigliani as a board member of RTC, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, is fully aware of the hostilities and abusive acts against the homeless and poor citizens using the CAT system. The CAT system bus drivers, employees and vendors, with encouragement from corrupt leadership of RTC Chairman Larry Brown and Vice-Chairman Mayor Oscar Goodman, often abuse and violate the rights of the homeless and poor in a number of manners.

Those citizens with fully paid, "unlimited rides" 30-day passes are often prohibited from riding the bus of their choice, or thrown off the bus at stops not to their choice. There is much violence, abuse and illegal acts against a large population of city and county citizens and Giunchigliani has for years not only been aware of it, but supports it.

She is unfit to serve in public office and she has not as of yet resigned her newly re-elected position of Clark County Commission in which she just took a mere few weeks ago. The fact that she entered the mayor race so soon after a run for that re-election position with the county shows her contempt for the people.

The RTC system is a disaster. The issue of the firefighters, many being paid from $200,000 to $600,000 a year, is a disaster. UMC is a disaster. Clark County Social Services are a disaster. Anything Giunchigliani sits on and governs is a disaster.

In a recent news report in one of the local communist rags one out of several readers commenting supported Giunchigliani, one of eighteen persons running for mayor, the rest all denounced her. And they should.

Giunchigliani is as corrupt as they come. Her corrupt counterparts, Goodman and Brown, have much in common. While Goodman is exiting being mayor since his final term is up and there is a term limit, he tries to continue to run for mayor by having his corrupt wife run which will allow the city's most famous drunk to continue being mayor and making the bedroom decisions.

The will of the people will not allow that. If they do lawsuits against the city and county at a time when the treasury chest is broke will likely collapse both governments.

Giunchigliani is as evil as they come. She belongs in prison for her part in the hostilities against the homeless and poor citizens of the community.

Outside her own county commissioner district Giunchigliani is not liked nor welcomed in this community.

Anything and everything on Chris Giunchigliani watch has turned to disaster. We certainly do not want or need Chris Giunchigliani as mayor of Las Vegas.

King & Queen Goodman

2011-02-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas City Hall viewed from the Frank Wright Plaza, a popular
hangout and resting ground for the homeless that Oscar Goodman
and his Nazi Party destroyed. Las Vegas City Councilman Gary Reese
and former Councilman and current Clark County Commissioner Larry Brown
were part of that conspiracy.

Carolyn Goodman Enters Race
Carolyn Goodman, wife of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, enters Las Vegas mayor race. She's already shown her ability to present the politician lie claiming she and her husband are separate people with their own lives. Yet she admits her darling husband has created a master piece in the Downtown Redevelopment that she wants to continue.

It would be coldhearted to suggest the Goodmans do not live together if she does become mayor on account of backdoor dealings with his actually being the one at the controls of the City's destination. But without a doubt there would be much Las Vegas City planning during the bedroom talks in the Goodman household.

Who is swallowing your crap, Mrs. Goodman? You can't convince us there would not be much bedroom persuasion by your hubby to convince you of political decisions and moves.

Carolyn Goodman's pass into the mayor race will be countered by the Christian River movement in force. Cliff Harrison has already verbally attacked Carolyn Goodman's decision as he has Clark County Commissioner and former Las Vegas City Councilman Larry Brown's and Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani.

Christian River's chief and founder, Cliff Harrison, has vowed to kick the bees nest of The Three Stooges and the evilness of the Goodman, Brown and Giunchigliani trio. That showdown will continue until election day, exposing the evil of the local career politicians. Carolyn Goodman may or not be a lady of good standings, that's to be debated by the community, but her entering the mayor race leaves no doubt in the minds of the community her only intentions are the continuance of her husband's ill fated dictatorship and Nazism.

Las Vegas Sun Article:Carolyn Goodman, wife of Oscar Goodman, enters Las Vegas mayor race

Las Vegas Sun Article:Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani announces run for Las Vegas mayor

Be sure to read the commments Christian River Chief Cliff Harrison left in both online news articles. Some in the community support Mrs. Goodman's run for power, others oppose it as a King and Queen
hierarchy and family dynasty.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-24T22:15:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY
May God Bless You All!

Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, may You have mercy on us.

In peace we pray to the Lord. For the peace from above, and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

For the homeless, hungry, needy and poor let us pray to the Lord. For all who are oppressed by the forces of evil, let us pray to the Lord. Let us pray for all of mankind to be delivered from evil. Let us pray for all lost souls and hope that they can find their way back to the Lord, their Savior.

I thank God for His mercy on me. I thank God for His delivering me from evil. I thank God for His providing me with shelter when I had done. Clothing me when I was naked. Feeding me when I was hungry. I thank God for being their for me. Amen.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, I pray for peace for all of mankind. Amen!

With Loving Peace In Christ
Cliff Harrison

“If” Is the Biggest Word in the Dictionary, Oscar

2010-02-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

A Political Commentary by Cliff Harrison

The headline of the liberal hometown newspaper, the Las Vegas Sun, reads: Goodman: City could save 171 jobs if unions agree to pay cut.

Earlier reports mentioned how the 171 city employees were going to feel the sharp edge of City Hall’s swinging ax.

Job cuts were needed to head off a $70 million budget deficit.

Goodman let the terror sink in for a few days before making his sneaky announcement.

For a city that had been booming for some twenty years and had been the top economics winner it is now penniless. That is we can thank the ingenious team of so-called leaders who govern the once prosperous city… and county.

It looks like God’s reign has poured fire and brimstone down on Vegas.

I thought the unions and Goodman were bed buddies after the union turned tail and crawled into bed with Goodman over self-centered New City Hall issues.

Sounds like the mattress and box springs are squeaking from that bed-fellowship. They are entertaining one another so blissfully the headboard is smacking the wall loudly.

If the union had better legal representation, if the union had a smarter plan, if the union truly had the people in mind, rather than its singular membership, maybe the signatures of some 14,000 people wouldn’t have gone wasted.

But “if” is a big word.

When you have self-interest and special-interest strange things happen.

Fast forward ahead, the union and city decided to crawl in bed during their drunken night out and kiss and make up as well as kiss again, until they woke up with their hangover and found themselves in the same bed. They’ve been friends ever since.

Bud: Do you mean they were kissing each other’s back pews?

Now Goodman, after giving 171 city workers and their families the chill, he’s making the notation the bed is still warm and if they want to crawl back in they need to beg for it.

And, they most likely will.

After all, mafia attorneys are great negotiators. There is always something dark looming at the other end of their “offers” and “deals”. Sometimes bloody ones.

If the city workers are willing to take a pay cut, City Hall is ready to let them crawl back into the nice, warm and snug bed.

Sounds like a cozy deal when reports have been coming from glasshouses that the Great Recession is making a rebound.

There’s been lots of “ifs” hanging around City Hall.

“If” is the biggest word in the dictionary. Then again, it’s the second biggest word. Rubberband stretches farther.

If union leaders are willing to make a concession, City Hall offers a warm bed to get cozy in. If union leaders fail to listen, then they can stay out in the cold.

I don’t know what the union will decide. Most likely when they have their heads in a vise and a power drill is buzzing and whining near their ear they’ll take the deal with the “Let’s Make A Deal” guy.

Remember, this is a “painless” plan coming from City Hall.

Beef stew always starts with fresh red meat.

If the city were serious about saving money, I’ve got an idea. Are you listening, City Hall?

Back off the homeless. Get rid of the high-paid armed security guards used to harass the homeless and poor citizens downtown at the DTC and at the SSTT and on numerous RTC routes.

Another idea is to stop arresting and jailing the homeless and poor for stupid, minor violations and clogging our court systems like fat in the arteries with minor offenses that cost major bucks to administer.

There’s a few million in savings right there, not to mention the savings from liability the city always seems to be paying out.

Bud: Shhh!

Ax next year’s pay raise for the mayor and chop city bosses salary in half. Yes, 50% not 8%. That’ll take us out of the red and put us in the black. Oh yeah, take your ear plugs out and start listening to the people at all those town hall meetings. They’ve been trying to tell you how to balance the budget, but you haven’t been listening.

I think I just balanced the budget right there if the ingenious folks at City Hall would just apply some thought. But then—I know—the mayor is a slow learner. And everybody else at City Hall follows his lead no matter what direction he takes.

But then again, maybe City Hall will turn its back on the common sense voice of the people just like the City Hall building turns its back on the City of Las Vegas.

New Ordinance Requires Permit for Alcohol in City Parks

2009-10-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

$15 for One Person to Have One Beer in City Park

A new ordinance goes into effect today, 5 October 2009. Any one person who wants to drink alcohol in a Las Vegas city park must first get a $15 permit.

Tourists can still consume alcohol in open containers on the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown Fremont Street Experience free of charge.

According to city officials, posted on the City of Las Vegas website, "Effective Oct. 5, 2009, citizens wishing to consume alcohol in city parks must first obtain a picnic pavilion or special event permit from the Department of Leisure Services. In addition, glass beverage containers are no longer permitted in city parks."

We don't mean to call the City of Las Vegas copycats, but this is what the website says, "The new city ordinance, which was adopted by the City Council on June 17, 2009, is consistent with the city of Henderson, North Las Vegas and Clark County, which allow alcohol in reservable [sic] picnic pavilions and special event areas only, with a permit."

Is this an effort to increase situations of arresting the homeless for hanging out in parks and drinking alcohol? Probably not. The homeless and those consuming alcohol have long been arrested for doing so and often carted off to jail.

It is an apparent scheme to bilk taxpayers out of more money at a time when people have little jingle in their pockets and look for inexpensive ways for entertainment and relaxation.

For groups of 1-24 people with no special requests such as using a DJ the cost for a permit is $15.

For fees for additional groups and park and city information click onto the links below.

New Ordinance
New Ordinance Requires Permit for Alcohol in City Parks
Pay to Drink Plan & How to Get a Permit

Park Permit City of Las Vegas
Permit Fees & How to Reserve a Park

We asked several City of Las Vegas residents what they thought of this new ordinance and 100% said they disapproved the idea. Responses ranged from, "We pay taxes for our parks, now we have to pay a fee to use them?" "That's crazy" and "Why shouldn't we be able to vote on something like this?" Lines like that came from the people, we're sure the rest of the community feels the same way.

Your tax dollars paid to build and maintain the public parks, why should you pay again to use them?

$15 for one person. Drive down, get a permit, pay a $15 no deposit fee, go to the store, buy your beer, no glass containers (that’s okay) go to the park and drink. Don’t change your mind and go to another park, or else you might need to pay again.

Business Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

You better plan ahead for if you don't you might not get your permit. In other words don't wake up on a Sunday morning and plan on going to the park that afternoon. That won't work in most cases.

People should not be charged for any reason in public parks. We will support permits for very large events such as 400 people or more, since police need to be aware of such events in case there is an emergency and for crowd control. But other than that, across America, what the taxpayers already paid for ought to be enjoyed free of charge. That is why public parks and public properties were built in the first place.

What’s next, a permit to fly a kite?

Ensign Must Resign

2009-06-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

The Rising Star Has Fallen.

Excuse me, Senator; marriages don’t get “stronger” after affairs, they usually get weaker, much weaker. And if we were to believe it, and we don’t, we’d have to hear it from Mrs. Ensign, and even if we did we certainly would remain suspicious. In other words, your credibility is shot, and that is nobody’s fault but your own.

We applaud Mrs. Ensign for forgiving you, which is courageous and perhaps appropriate. But we can not. We can not, that is, while you are still serving in public office. Only after your resignation could we accept your apology and forgive you.

At that point you would be a private citizen and not a public servant--our public servant--there is a huge difference.

But as it stands now, Senator, at least for many of us, you are not forgiven.

You did not come forward in public with this affair admitting until after you learned Douglas Hampton was going public with the facts about the adultery involving you and his wife.

So much for family values and Christian fidelity.

You can not represent the Conservative Christians of America—or Nevada--and you must resign before further damage is done to the Christian Conservative movement in America.

Shame on you for your demonic acts and your hypocrisy. You are disgusting and you are not only a liar and a cheat, you are an adulterer who shames a nation. And you are not worthy of our taxpayer money to support your acts of infidelity.

You were aware of the damage your reckless and foolish decisions would create on the Republican Party and the Conservative Party if detected and ignoring your better judgment, you carelessly entered into an irresponsible act of which produces consequences of which demands your immediate resignation.

You had plenty of experience with fallen politicians before you; Lord knows you rightfully spoke out against them all. Therefore, you can not claim immunity from performing similar acts, nor can you claim unawareness of consequences.

Not an hour of our time is worthy of your ignorance Senator, of which ought to be immediately FORMER Senator. And you ought not to take one penny of taxpayer money from any retirement plan your unfit behavior may have entitled you.

There is something more which causes us to call for your resignation, Senator. That is the Sarah Palin incident of 30 October, 2008.

On 30 October, 2008 Senator John Ensign went on Jon Ralston's Face to Face and described VP nominee Sarah Palin to be unqualified for the job. Sen. Ensign said Sarah Palin wasn't qualified to be President. It was aired on local Las Vegas TV Las Vegas 1 just days before the presidential elections.

The flames of an inferno which traveled at warp speed across Las Vegas, across the State of Nevada and across the United States of America and for that matter, the globe—via the internet and global TV-- filled the undecided minds with decision to support the opposition.

Flames from hell. Flames which came from the lips of Senator John Ensign, the then Republican Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The Republican spokesman Perfecta.

Just a few days before the presidential election of November 4, 2008, Republican Party annihilator, Senator John Ensign goes on public television and destroys Republican Party unity for the John McCain—Sarah Palin ticket.

That alone was enough to call for Ensign’s resignation.

That alone caused us to become furious at Sen. Ensign.

Not one hour more ought we continue with this traitor in our company. John Ensign is a deserter and ought to be treated as the defector that he is, a worthless piece of scum that deserves nothing less than a turncoat’s worn-out welcome and a casting out Conservative unification.

Once one of the strongest politicians for Nevadan Christian Conservatives, this demon now needs to go sow his oats elsewhere. Ensign is no longer welcomed to represent the people of Nevada and needs to go tend his pigs and dogs and get out of politics.

In a time when the Republican Party, especially Conservatives, needed strong leadership, this guy betrayed not only his own wife and family and his Senate staff employees but every one he was suppose to represent.—his supporters.

He is not the kind of representative we want to represent us. No apology is acceptable. No forgiveness is in line.

We take apologies and we forgive sinners who repent in private life, but not for those standing, unfaithful elected officials or our representatives in public office.

At a time when we need to repair our nation and establish a strong front against the far left, we can not stand behind a weak, forbidding sinner the likes of Ensign. At a time when we need leaders of strong character, good morals, traditional principals, clean ethics and Christian values to lead the nation back on course toward our founding principals and core values, John Ensign betrayed us.

He diminished all hope. He shadowed faith. He darkened dreams. He shattered prosperity. He denied righteousness. He bathed in evil. He sinned like a sinner because he is a sinner.

He is not the leader we need to lead us, nor is he one with the good qualities we mention; like strong character, good morals, traditional principles and Christian values.

He has forsaken us at a time we needed flawless leaders who could take a stance and not falter against immoral conduct or temptation of such.

John Ensign wasn’t the one pursued; he was the one who pursued.

Someone didn’t chase after him, he chased after someone.

And that someone had a husband and he, Ensign, had a wife.

That is double sin. Double adultery. Another man’s wife was the temptation of his evil, and his evil was the results of his failure to repent, and seek shelter from his sinning of sins.

His lack of self-discipline and moral wrong-doings is proof of his lack of leadership. He can’t lead himself, how can he lead others?

He can’t keep his own house in order, how can he keep our house in order?

At a time when we need absolute unity and the establishment of a strong conservative base, we can not allow the traitor Judas Iscariot to be among us.

He must go; we do not want him here!

Regardless of how great or how good Senator John Ensign was for us, or could have been for us, he is no longer of such stature.

Regardless of how important his position might have been to us, he is important no more.

All of the good he could have rendered us has been erased with his unfruitful, evil deeds, not once, but at least twice.

He rivaled Sarah Palin on the eve of her election potentials with his own eyes on the presidency a term away, a rival from his own party—something that fits a pattern of disgrace—rivals from within.

Now all Ensign could possibly be is president of the cheaters club.

That, he has at least a nine-month experience in.

But who knows, maybe others will soon come forth? His personal business is our business because he is a public figure.

He deserves no more chances, he is an elected official, not a common citizen. He must leave us so that we may find a replacement who will uphold the integrity of public office we Americans respect and demand.

Senator John Ensign has revealed to us the very character Americans do not want in public office, the same characteristics which has damaged American greatness and of which has fallen America to her knees.

There is no room for unethical character and behavior in the arena of American politics. None whatsoever! No matter how strongly a political, elected official pleads for mercy or begs for forgiveness and regardless of how apologetic they are, we shall bare no clemency or leniency on those who are chartered with serving us, as a community, as a state and as a nation. For they deserve none in their roll of treason.

Traditional Americans can not take back America from the barren far-left liberals with disloyal, unmoral, unfaithful, traitorous, adulterous sinners like John Ensign.

Senator Ensign is no hero and has not done what is in the best interest of the United States of America. Nor is he comparable to those listed in John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage. Men who make bad decisions can not be trusted to be involved in the decision-making process that concerns the United States of America or the Great State of Nevada.

Such bad personal decisions as to involve oneself in an adulterous affair and speak not one word about it until threats of exposure rises are not worthy of forgiveness in the public degree.

Criminals are usually only sorry once they are caught, and adulterers likewise. Such conduct can not be amended or undone regardless of how many words expressing sorrow are voiced. It is clear and emanate not from true regret of misconduct and unethical behavior of office, but because he was caught and about to be exposed.

John Ensign is not even worthy of the honorable title, Senator. He is a branded man and branded men are not deserving the honor of serving the people of his constituency. It was men like John Ensign who brought this once great nation down. The evilness within erased whatever good there was and removed the power of righteousness and replaced it with pure evilness—evilness America can not tolerate. Evilness We the People shall not allow to stand. Evilness which has raped our great nation and cast stones against her innocence.

It is obvious that special favors in employment positions for the mistress of his evil deeds gained substantial monetary increases in salary. This can only be attributed to indirect prostitution as it is apparent that such financial gains and staff position came out of sexual favors or the illicit relationship of the smelly affair.

An outspoken critic of those senators and politicians before him involved in sex scandals, and rightfully so, at least at the time, he voiced criticism of such behavior by elected officials, which has come back to haunt him.

He condemned Senators Craig, Vitter, Edwards and others, including former President Bill Clinton, each time calling for their resignation, which was appropriate.

But now it is also appropriate for John Ensign to resign.

The evils Ensign embarked upon are no lesser evils than the men mentioned in his criticism of embarked on. Evil is evil. Sin is sin. Dishonesty is dishonesty. Is is is. And the definitions are the same.

The hypocrisy of John Ensign is the identical hypocrisy good Americans are trying to get rid of. And get rid of them we will.

We can only heal as a nation and as a party with someone else in his senate seat.

There is no question the liberal camp will continue to have a field day over Sen. John Ensign’s affair and hypocrisy. That disgrace was invited and brought on by no other than Ensign himself.

That is not leadership that is ignorance.

We are talking about a nine-month affair, not a one night stand. We are talking about a continued violation of marriage vows and a violation of family, friendship and constituency trust.

Not a single act of foolish decision making, but a concentrated, continued effort of abandonment. Abandonment to duty and responsibility, and abandonment to character, moral values and righteousness. Neglect of family values and the sanctity of marriage.

So, Senator Quick Zipper, Sarah Palin wasn’t qualified to be president, but you are qualified to be senator, is that right? You might qualify for a sperm bank’s bragging room president, but you don’t qualify for leading the GOP in the United States Senate--Or in the White House.

You knowingly took another man’s wife for your personal mistress. Not just any man, but one of your own top aides. Supposedly, one of your most trusted aides and someone by position, who must have trusted you, Senator.

You knowingly committed adultery against your own wife with another man’s wife, that Senator, violates several of the Ten Commandments. Can you deny you did not covet your neighbor’s wife and then commit adultery with her?

Your political campaign ads claimed you believed in character, hard work, and that integrity mattered. Do you still believe in those qualities? Then, if you do, you ought to resign and let someone who has those qualities take the office you are holding hostage.

Senator John Ensign, Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, addressed the 2008 Republican National Convention in support of the chosen Republican Presidential candidate, John McCain and his chosen Vice-President running mate, Sarah Palin. In that speech, Ensign said, “We must make Sarah Palin the next vice-president of the United States!”

Yet, just a few days before the election, this idiot, Ensign, went before the public and bashed Sarah Palin stating she wasn’t experienced enough or qualified to be president. (Assuming something happened to John McCain, or whoever became the sitting president, but Joe Biden was qualified to be president, in Ensign’s opinion.)

The Internet, print newspapers and magazines and TV and radio stations around the country picked up on that opinion and ran with it all the way to making a touch down for the Obama camp.

We immediately distanced ourselves from Senator John Ensign after that statement on Las Vegas 1 to Jon Ralston's Face to Face, a local Las Vegas talk show. And a few days later when the John McCain-Sarah Palin team lost the election we disowned Ensign.

John Ensign does not face voters again until elections in 2012 if he does not resign. Some tend to think that “voters' anger over this type of scandal is likely to fade over time.” Not so! If John Ensign does not resign we intend to continually remind voters of just what kind of man John Ensign really is.

His collaboration with the unpopular Democratic Senator Harry Reid will help us to do just that.

Ensign can forget about his dream of becoming the president of the United States of America. Americans don’t want the same politics as usual in Washington. They want constructive change and that change won’t come from business-as-usual politicians who use deceptive practices.

John Ensign has been unfaithful to the Republican Party, to the Conservative Party, to his wife, to his family, to his top aids and staffers, to his constituency and most of all to himself.

Unfaithful men can not be leaders.

Without loyalty to ones family, friends, employees, supporters, political party, or self, what is left?

A turncoat of ones political party, that is going against what the party stands for, can not rebuild the damage done to the party or the politician, no matter how much time passes for the incident to fade.

If John Ensign can’t be trusted by the people closes too him; his family, his friends, his employees, who can trust him?

Certainly we can not!

This is not simply a personal or private family matter as both the ignorant Republican and Democratic parties of Nevada claim. The spokespersons of both parties are out of touch of what Americans demand for the future of politics. It is a matter of public concern when it concerns an elected official who represents the people. We the people have absolute right to expect more in the line of integrity, ethics and character of our elected officials. Neither party shall stand the scrutiny of the Nevada or the American public. This is the very stuff we stand united to weed out of our political offices.

We could not control the outcome of sex scandals involving Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, after his “wide-stance” and arrest for seeking homosexual sex in an airport men’s room. Or for Sen. David Vitter, R- Louisiana, for using the illegal services of a Washington D.C. prostitute, “DC Madam” or his links to prostitution. Or for Sen. John Edwards, D-North Carolina, for his extramarital, adulterous affair with a former campaign worker whom reports claimed he fathered a child with, during a time period Edward’s wife, Elizabeth was ill with cancer.

Those corrupt and unsavory politicians who represented districts outside of our own revealed their dishonesty to their constituency of which we had no rightful voice other than subjective opinions.

But for John Ensign, United States Senator of Nevada, we do have a rightful and legal voice, since he represents Nevada and Las Vegas where we are based and reside. And our voice now rigorously opposes his representation of us.

Sen. John Ensign’s disgrace of professional ethics and official misconduct in office has damaged months of Republican and Conservative base building.

Dirty secrets may be kept from the people for a limited amount of time, but dirty secrets can not be kept from God.

The United States of America has no place in the United States Senate for loose lips (the Palin incident) or loose zippers (the affair and confession).

Public officials who engage in such immoral activity while in public office certainly must be ignorant since they know if they are exposed they gamble and risk their political careers. Some Americans may be more tolerant, we are not!

The very seed of corruption that they sow erases all of the good deeds they may have performed in their professional positions of public office. We define corruption as dishonesty, and it does not need to involve monetary fraud or financial deception. Their deception was deception of character, integrity and morals. Their deception was corruption of the heart—the dishonesty toward their supporters—a deception of their people.

The kind of corruption and deception the American people have called on to remove from political office.

We expect our political leaders who serve us to have the character, integrity and morals that are respectable and of appropriate behavior. We not only expect it, we demand it.

Corruption of the heart and mind leads to corruption of the soul. And, corruption of the soul leads to corruption of the people. Corruption of the people leads to lawlessness. And lawlessness leads to chaos. With chaos there is no order and anarchy rules instead of law and order. The masses have no leadership. Leadership is void. The absence of leadership allows the lack of law and order, of civil obedience and of social integrity. Society then breaks down and anything and everything is then acceptable.

The Senators are doing it, so we can too. We don’t need to feel bad about this, if we get caught all we need to do is apologize and move on with business as usual. No harm done. We have great leadership, if it feels good do it! Right?

Wrong! We don’t need the Jim Bakkers of the world contaminating our society.

Because if we allow the Jim Bakkers, the John Ensigns, the Governor Jim Gibbons, the Bill Clintons, the John Edwards, the Larry Craigs, the David Vitters, Eliot Spitzers, Jim McGreeveys, Rudy Giulianis, Vito Fossellas, Gary Condits, Mark Foleys, Gus Savages, Donald Lukens, Gary Harts, and Democrat Congressman Barney Frank, who ran a male prostitution ring out of his apartment and who has admitted that he had an affair with a male prostitute, a key ally in the Obama Administration, we lose our virtue..

A man makes his life of what it is. He writes his own history.

If we allow the sexual deviants to lead us they will lead us straight into into hell. Their evilness rubs off onto society and our society itself becomes evil.

Righteousness is lost. Justice evaporates. Wrongdoing is excused. Evil prevails. Evilness is hailed. Vice rules and morality stumbles. Christian Conservatism yields to crime and vice and people no longer use rationalization or good reason but act instead on animalistic instinct. Society deteriorates to the point were a nation declines to worthlessness. We fail to reason and no longer use rational thoughts, but succumb to irrational acts of animal behavior. Virtue is lost.

Virtue dies.

When our political leaders abandon their responsibilities and forsake their self-discipline for the sake of temptations of evil we as a society vanish into worthlessness. We lose our values and our principles and we no longer have a meaningful future.

Worst, when society accepts the corruption and dishonesty of favorite politicians with mere indifference, then society itself begins to erode and fade. Society succumbs to evil and such evil is what has fallen great nations in history. Our great nation is not invulnerable to such extinction.

When good men fall to evil, perhaps they were not good men after all, but weak men internally.
Weak men ought not to lead, for they are not leaders, but followers. Such men if they can not lead then ought to get out of the way or follow.

They should let true leaders lead.

And that is the case in which John Ensign ought to do, resign and get out of the way so someone of stronger character, morals and integrity can lead. Someone with real leadership qualities.

John Ensign is fit to lead no more. He has no credibility left. He must step down and step down now in order to protect the integrity of the Christian Conservatives and the integrity of the United States of America. If there is one right thing for John Ensign to do, it is to resign.

Governor Jim Gibbons is a giant hypocrite himself, who is drinking milk from the same bottle.

As one Las Vegan reporter/blogger put it, Governor Jim Gibbons’ “approval rating is below freezing.” It stands at about 10% approval rating, the lowest in the history of Nevada.

Gibbons is perhaps one of the most unpopular governors in Nevada history, but he is the one who would most likely replace this giant hypocrite, Ensign, with a temporary appointment until elections are held in 2012 for the senate seat he now holds.

NRS 304.030

http://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-304.html#NRS304Sec030

NRS 304.030 Governor to appoint qualified person upon vacancy in office. In case of a vacancy in the office of United States Senator caused by death, resignation or otherwise, the Governor may appoint some qualified person to fill the vacancy, who shall hold office until the next general election and until his successor shall be elected and seated.
(Added to NRS by 1960, 281)

That in and of itself could be scary, but Nevada and especially Las Vegas, has been known to bred corrupt politicians.

If anything hurts more than to suggest Nevada’s favorite son ought to resign it is the bare facts of knowing the truth of his evilness while in public office.

There is no question that the loss of Senator John Ensign on the U.S. Senate floor would be a substantial loss for the Republicans and the Conservatives, but to allow him to stay would be an even greater loss and would severely damage the reputation of what the parties stand for.

John Ensigns’ evilness erases all of his goodness. Only though his resignation from public office can he be forgiven of his betrayal and sins.

Senator John Ensign was a rising star who has fallen from grace.

Do the right thing, Senator, resign.

John Ensign, resign now! Betray us no more!

Father River: The Street Priest

2009-06-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

1-Week Mission

I will be on a one-week mission on the streets with my homeless friends, so I won't be able to do any writing in any of the websites during this time period. But I hope to have a number of stories and photos put together by the time I return. There are a number of my homeless friends who have been stricken with illness and the Homeless Blues, and others who had once climbed off the streets only to have a relapse, so it is time for me to spend some quality time with them and cheer them up.

Father River: The Street Priest
Fiction by Cliff Harrison

Father River
http://fatherriver.blogspot.com/

Speaking of stories, I probably shouldn't tell you this just yet, but I started another fiction website. It is premature to give you the link yet, but I'm going to anyway. I think it may take another month or two for me to get it in showroom shape, but I'll let you peek since so many of you have been so kind with your support and e-mails.

This is one of my personal sites to express my fiction writing and is not related to the the Family of Websites by the RIVER Organization Christian Church except the theme is identical. Homelessness & poverty is the primary subject matter with stories from the streets. Facts and fiction are incorporated.

These stories will mostly be work-in-progress and usually first drafts which have not yet been edited, so depending on your tolerance level, you may find it interesting.

There are many people in the Las Vegas valley that are hurting and my heart goes out to all of them. Homeless citizens living in a hostile town. People having their homes foreclosed and winding up on the streets, businesses that are failing in the harsh recession and people losing their jobs and income and the evils that come from such a time. I pray for them all.

Again, thanks for your support, and I'll be back in about one-week.

God Bless You All!

In Christ,
Brother Cliff Harrison

Neglect Continues at DTC Men's Room

2009-06-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

Problems with City May Only Escalate

(Photo by Cliff Harrison Copyright © 2009 used by RIVER Organization Christian Church with permission.)

Photo shows soap dispenser to be empty. A filled dispenser would show soap in the window below the logo.

Photo taken shortly after 6:00PM 10 June, 2009.

The following is an e-mail we sent to Mr. Dan Hyde of the City of Las Vegas after the conclusion of tonight's inspection of the men's restroom at the DTC. Below this entry is a series of communication we have been engaged in with public officials.

City Continues Health Hazard Despite Warnings

Dear Mr. Hyde:

With regular monitoring of the men's restroom at the DTC we were content with the four soap dispensers installed and the security to protect them.

Until recently we were satisfied.

However, regular inspections during the past three days in the morning, afternoon and evening concludes that all four soap dispensers have been empty during this 72 consecutive hours.

We inquire as to why your staff would allow this to occur?

As we have stated before, when the soap dispensers are left empty and in this condition, it is highly likely they will be damaged.

We ask, for the final time, that you bring this condition up to the safe health codes the public expects and discipline whatever staff is being neglectful.

9:05 PM 10 June 2009

Sincerely,

Clifford G. Harrison
Church Chairman
River Organization Christian Church

An inspection, in the morning and evening, the day after this post and e-mail to Mr. Hyde we also found the soap dispensers still empty as well as both of the two hand dryers failing to operate. 11 June 2009

City and County Continues Hostility Against Homeless and Poor Citizens.

This morning a major assault was launched by the City of Las Vegas and the County of Clark, including law enforcement officers from both the City Marshals office and Metro Police department, against the homeless citizens.

A raid beginning around 5:00AM on the homeless sleeping along both sides of Main Street and along Foremaster Lane near the Salvation Army Family Center and St. Vincent's continued until well after 6:00PM this evening with dozens of police officers participating and a number of squad cars.

Tents , personal items and homeless persons were removed and barricades were set up in order to prevent resettlement.

This is obviously the "We will remove them by force" Mayor Oscar Goodman promised recently in news report.

With homelessness in the City of Las Vegas to likely increase drastically within the next few months we will be monitoring the conduct of City and County officials.

The Final Stage....

2009-05-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

Vandal-Proof Soap Dispensers Arrive at DTC

(Photo by Cliff Harrison Copyright © 2009 used by RIVER Organization Christian Church with permission.)

It has been a long time coming, but we have at last arrived at the final stage.

As Mr. Dan Hyde, Fleet & Transportation Service Manager of the City of Las Vegas, had promised the "...more vandal proof soap dispensers." have arrived at the DTC men's restroom.

This provides a total of four soap dispensers for the restroom. The sink on the far left of the photo is inop, so that gives us four dispensers for at least five working sinks. We believe that to be adequate.

It has taken well over a year to reach this goal which was finalized last week when the second pair of soap dispensers were installed. But we are content that we have reached this end.

Not all patrons who use this facility wash their hands or practice sanitary habits, but most of us do. Having the ability and the means to do so is what is relevant.

We have witnessed some public officials and bus drivers failing to wash their hands after doing their business and that concerns us. But our concern was always that the soap dispensers be re-installed so the rest of us could follow sane hygiene practices and that has been accomplished.

Most of the public officials and bus drivers we see using the facility spend liberal time washing their hands as most other citizens do. That brings a level of satisfaction and accomplishment.

We have monitored the facility especially after the first set of soap dispensers were installed. We noticed a high usage. One morning the one of the two was out of soap, but later that afternoon on a return trip it had been filled with soap. Since that time, it appears the custodians of the restroom have been taking adequate measures to keep the sanitation equipment operating as they should be.

The toilet situation is another story. Some of the toilets have no lids. Most have no toilet paper whatsoever and human feces remain abundantly smeared to an extreme exposure.

It is a disgrace to human consciousness. It is a direct reflection of the substandard leadership the City of Las Vegas officials provide. It is absolute testimony of the bilking of taxpayers money spent on the keeping of high-level bureaucrats who are worthless of their positions. It is a pity we the people are so shamelessly serviced by public "servants".

The mayor and his puppet, Gary Reese, ought to be forced to use that same facility. The ranking administrators of City government ought to be forced to do likewise.

In Dan Hyde's correspondence in the post below he writes,
"The problem is that they are continuously being stolen by those using the DTC. Some of those utilizing the DTC facilities literally rip the soap dispensers from the walls of the bathrooms causing damage to the paint and drywall as well."

If Dan Hyde ever visited the DTC men's room he would know no one ever caused damaged to the paint and drywall because no drywall exists. The walls are concrete.

We don't feel any compassion for an official or officials who failed to act in good faith to solve a problem on their own. The City and County acted only because we applied pressure on the State to force them to act.

And that, is the simple truth.

Nevertheless, the journey is over with, at least for now.

It is time to move on to other ventures.

A Commentary on City Policy

2009-05-17T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hand Dryers Are Located Behind the Partitions at Either End of the Sinks

We appreciate the City taking the initiative to re-install soap dispensers at the Downtown Transportation Center men's restroom.

We fully admit and acknowledge that incidents of vandalism and thief do occur. However, the City needs to live with and deal with it.

A large number of the homeless population which congregates in that area are mentally disturbed. Further more, thief and vandalism often occur due to the City failing to keep soap in the dispensers.

It is questionable rather two dispensers are adequate enough to handle the volume of traffic using the men's room.

We support the City in protecting the equipment and facilities from vandalism and thief by the use of outside video monitoring system. We do not condone any type of criminal activity in defacing or destroying public property.

The City's long-standing aggressive and hostile stance against the homeless and the poor citizens of this community often breeds anger, frustration and vengeance attitudes by those inflicted with the aggression and hostility.

The City needs to rethink its position toward this segment of society and stop trying to push these people off onto someone else--some other community.

City policy must reflect a will to solve problems which arise within our own community.

The recent action of the City to remove all vending machines in the DTC facility is yet another act of aggression in which all transit passengers suffer. Those vending machines need to be replaced.

The City needs to stop playing games with people's lives. If Oscar Goodman and Gary Reese can not do their jobs legally and faithfully then they need to resign and get out of the way so more competent leadership can take their place.

In regards to Mr. Hyde's response to us, we know there was no "inadvertent over sight" on the City failing to respond to our complaint. It was absolutely deliberate. And, it was a deliberate stalling against the State of Nevada. The City, the County, The RTC, and other agencies or departments do not respond in timely fashion to any complaint. Only when someone is persistent do they respond and that persistence usually comes from a higher authority.

It took well over a year for the actions to be taken concerning the soap dispensers. The City continues to create aggressive tactics and hostile measures against the homeless and poor despite court rulings.

It is time the political leaders of this community be replaced and the bureaucrats fired if they choose to continue their arrogant paths.

Why have all of the vending machines been removed? Transportation workers tell the consumers that it is because the new bus terminal is being built. That is a clear and outright lie--a lie that obviously came from the top of management.

The new bus terminal won't be built until 2010.

The reason is the same as the soap dispenser incident, a clear and provocative assault on the homeless and the poor.

Coupled with the soap dispenser and unsanitary restrooms, the vending machine episode is an unconscionable conduct by public officials against the consumers of the Regional Transportation Commission and the taxpayers. The recent fare rate hike has been met with poorer, substandard service.

The City Marshal's office is inside the DTC. If the Marshals can not maintain security at the DTC premises, perhaps it ought to be dissolved and the millions saved the taxpayers.

Clearly, those in public service ought to either do their jobs or get out of public service. Public servants are extremely well paid and the taxpayers expect their performance to be satisfactory, not substandard as the case in this community often is.

We are willing to work with the City and the County, but we are not willing to be lied to and puppy hushed by incompetent public officials.

For the City and County officials to allow such a serious public health hazard to exist for such a long period of time is not only inconceivable, incompetent and perilous but it is also gross negligence and willful misconduct of office and duty.

We will be monitoring the situation in this community and we will respond when we need to respond as diligently as we need to.

We offer the City and the County the opportunity to come clean and to change their attitude toward the homeless and poor citizens of this community. We would welcome the advances which could be made in those ends if the leadership of this community decided to lead instead of creating chaotic discouragement.

If our community is to survive, then we all must work together and help her survive.

Without such harmony, our community is most certainly doomed.

City policy must reflect a will to address all problems and attempt to solve those problems for ALL people of our community within our own community.

City policy must consider ALL people when making decisions which concern all people.

City Finally Responds to Complaint

2009-05-16T22:28:00.000-07:00

After State Involvement, City Finally Takes Action
(Photo by Cliff Harrison Copyright © 2009 used by RIVER Organization Christian Church with permission.)

Video monitoring will guard against vandals damaging equipment and facilities at DTC.

In a follow up of the two previous communications between State Health Officials and the RIVER Organization Christian Church, this entry provides the communication records between the City of Las Vegas and the RIVER Organization Christian Church.

The long standing health code violations at the Downtown Transportation Center (DTC) appears to be addressed.

For well over a year the public's health has been at risk for a wide range of contagious diseases due to spreading from unsanitary conditions at the DTC outside men's restroom.

Users of the men's room were unable to wash their hands because there were no soap dispensers. The aggressiveness and hostile attacks of the city against the homeless and poor citizens of Las Vegas had lead to an enormous health risk to the general public, including tourists.

Consumers and passengers of the RTC and DTC which are owned and operated by the County of Clark and in which the facilities are leased from the City of Las Vegas and maintained by the city, are now one step closer to better health protection.

The city's and county's long-standing aggression and hostilities against the homeless and poor citizens of this community will be met with a counterforce of lawful challenges, if necessary with full legal means, without limitations in utilizing federal courts, if need be, if the aggression and hostility does not end.

We will cover another and separate development which has occurred at the DTC in another publishing. But in short, the officials have removed all vending machines from the DTC including; soft drink machines, snack, video games, slot machines, pay telephones, newspaper vending machines, ATM machines and other vending machines.

These are not acts conducted by competent or responsible public authorities. They are actions of public officials which continue abuse against the homeless and the poor as a direct result of their hostile agendas. As a result, all consumers and public transit users suffer because of ignorant public figures unable to resolve long standing problems simply because they CAUSE the problems.

We will cover these and other issues relating to the attacks on the homeless and poor at another time.

The following is an open viewing of the communication which follows the course of the previous two entries involving the RIVER Organization Christian Church and the State of Nevada.

Thu, May 14, 2009 at 11:13 AM

From Dan Hyde
mailto:Toriverorganization.org@gmail.com
cc
spmunson@govcha.state.nv.us,
Larry Haugsness lhaugsness@lasvegasnevada.gov ,
Jerry Walker jwalker@lasvegasnevada.gov ,
Steven Ford SFord@lasvegasnevada.gov
Subject: City of Las Vegas Downtown Transportation Center (DTC)
Mailed-bylasvegasnevada.gov

Mr. Harrison:
On behalf of the City of Las Vegas I would like to apologize for our delay in getting back to you regarding your concerns with the soap dispensers in the outdoor bathrooms at the DTC. It was an inadvertent over sight on our part and we certainly understand your anxiety. I want to update you on the action the City is taking.

One of the challenges in dealing with a bus hub operation in a downtown corridor such as the DTC, is to be able to provide sanitary conditions for the patrons free from any and all vandal type activities that may interfere with the patrons using the facilities. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The soap dispensers you mention have not been overlooked by the City. The problem is that they are continuously being stolen by those using the DTC. Some of those utilizing the DTC facilities literally rip the soap dispensers from the walls of the bathrooms causing damage to the paint and drywall as well.

Our Facilities Management division will be installing more vandal proof soap dispensers tomorrow. This involves fabricating and welding a cage around each dispenser in the hope that it will discourage, and to what we hope will to a large degree, prevent future thefts and vandalism. They will also be repairing the hand-blowers in the facilities. By the way, these hand dryers have and continue to be vandalized as well.

We are well aware of the need for proper sanitary conditions at the DTC and believe that these new actions will diminish if not eliminate the issues mentioned above. We will monitor the situation daily and evaluate if any further actions are needed and what those actions will be.

We will keep you updated on our progress and, if unsuccessful, what subsequent steps will be taken.

Thanks

Dan Hyde

Fleet & Transportation Services Manager
CITY OF LAS VEGAS

Voice: [Deleted]
Fax : [Deleted]

Harrison Responds

Thu, May 14, 2009 at 10:31 PM

To Dan Hyde

Subject Re: City of Las Vegas Downtown Transportation Center (DTC)

Dear Mr. Dan Hyde;

We appreciate your attention on this matter. Thank you for your efforts in reducing the long-standing health problem.

Sincerely,
Clifford G. Harrison
Church Chairman
RIVER Organization Christian Church

Our response and opinion on this issue will continue in an editorial on this site perhaps as early as tomorrow. In the meantime, we are satisfied the city has taken action in which to reinstate the sanitary provisions which will reduce health risks at the DTC.

Soap Dispensers Finally Installed at DTC

2009-05-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

State Responds and Brings City and County to Compliance

(Photo by Cliff Harrison Copyright © 2009 used by RIVER Organization Christian Church with permission.)

Governor Jim Gibbons Is Sent Praise from Church Chairman for Munson's Professional Work.

This post is a follow up of the previous post found below. We engaged the State of Nevada in the issue of the health risks which were presented at the Downtown Transportation Center (DTC).

The city and county appeared to yet again ignore requests to bring the DTC men's outside restroom up to compliance with standard and established health codes.

After a waiting period of a limited amount of time and a reasonable measure of extended patience, we again turned to the State of Nevada for assistance.

Our policy is always to use a three-tier ultimatum. First we request an action to be taken and then we wait a limited amount of time. Second, if no action is taken or if we are ignored, then we demand such action to be taken and we again allow a limited amount of time for compliance. Third, if we are again ignored and no action is yet taken after again exercising patience, we then unleash our secret weapon. Our secret weapon, of course which is of legal means, may be a selection of a number of options of which there is no withdrawal from once launched due to the extended and repeated offer of opportunity of the adversary to comply initially.

Our perseverance paid off.

The following is the communication records between health officials from the Office of the Governor of the State of Nevada and Cliff Harrison, Church Chairman of the RIVER Organization Christian Church. They continue where the communication in the entry below leaves off.

DTC Soap Dispenser Files Continued from original complaint to State.

Thu, May 14, 2009 at 9:24 AM

http://govcha.state.nv.us/complaint.htm

Dear Mr. Harrison:

Thank you for your follow-up email. Naturally, environmental issues are of concern to everyone and I am sorry to hear that this matter has not yet been resolved. Therefore, I am forwarding your email to the Director of Environmental Services at the Southern Nevada Health District for further action.

I am also copying this correspondence to the Director of Government Affairs at the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and to the Director of Field Operations at the City of Las Vegas.

Please advise me if you do not hear from someone within 24 hours of receiving this email response.

I am hopeful and trusting that this issue will be resolved immediately.

Sincerely,

Shanna Munson
Executive Asst to the Director
Office of the Governor
Consumer Health Assistance
[Phone Numbers Excluded]
http://govcha.state.nv.us/

State Notified City and County Complied with State's Demands On Our Behalf

Thu, May 14, 2009 at 10:42 PM

Dear Shanna P. Munson;

Thank you for your early reply and for your efforts on this matter. I confirmed that soap dispensers were attached to the restroom in question at the DTC.

I also did receive an e-mail from city officials confirming the addition of soap dispensers and the promise to monitor the situation so the health problem does not continue.

We will also monitor the DTC restroom to assure the sanitary conditions remain acceptable.

Again, thank you for your explicit attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Clifford G. Harrison
Church Chairman
RIVER Organization Christian Church

Fri, May 15, 2009 at 9:04 AM

http://govcha.state.nv.us/complaint.htm

Dear Hr. Harrison:

I’m glad to hear that the matter has been resolved to your satisfaction. Should you find that situation changes in the future, or you have additional concerns regarding any of the RTC facilities, please re-contact Mr. Hyde at the City of Las Vegas so that he may have the opportunity to respond to you directly.

Sincere regards,

Shanna Munson
Executive Asst to the Director
Office of the Governor
Consumer Health Assistance
[Phone Number Excluded]
http://govcha.state.nv.us/

Chairman Sends Governor Jim Gibbons Praise for Munson

E-mail to Governor Jim Gibbons

7:51 PM Saturday 16 May 2009

The Honorable Jim Gibbons
Governor of Nevada
Office of the Governor
http://gov.state.nv.us/Contact_Us_NORTHX.htm

Dear Governor Gibbons:

For well over a year there have been serious health issues in regards to the men's restroom at the Downtown Transportation Center in Las Vegas.

City and County officials ignored requests to install soap dispensers in the restroom and conduct proper sanitary measures.

We believe this is due to the aggressive, hostile campaign the city and county wages on the homeless and poor citizens of the community.

The public's health was at serious risk due to the spread of contagious diseases from the lack and ability to wash hands.

We contacted Shanna Munson, Executive Assistant to the Director, Office of the Governor, Consumer Health Assistance agency (through referral) about the health issue.

Within matter of hours she had issued direction to both city and county officials to address our complaint. Our complaint went unanswered and again we contacted Shanna Munson.

Within 24 hours not only did we receive a response from the city promising compliance, but we also witnessed the installation of soap dispensers at the DTC restroom.

We would like to praise Shanna Munson for her professional attitude and her swift action on what we believe was a serious health risk concerning local residents, tourists and populations from every economical class within the city.

Not always when dealing with government officials is the experience so rewarding. The timely response on behalf of Shanna Munson must be applauded.

We extend our sincere thanks and take this time to let you know, Governor, that we believe Shanna Munson deserves commendation.

Thank you again and God Bless!

In Christ
Clifford G. Harrison
Church Chairman
RIVER Organization Christian Church

Complaint Lodged Against County & City

2009-04-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

DTC Restroom Presents...
Health Risk
State Health Officials Alerted
Photo of Men's Restroom sinks at Downtown Transportation Center (DTC). There are no soap dispensers or hand-drying methods to provide washing of hands. The soap dispensers which were located between the sinks were removed over a year ago to prevent the homeless from shaving, bathing or washing clothes. The brackets between the sinks have been painted over several times. The restroom is unsanitary and provides for a significant health risk to the public.
(Photo by Cliff Harrison Copyright © 2009 used by RIVER Organization Christian Church with permission.)

For well over a year city and county officials ignored the significant health risk at the DTC. The hostile attacks against the homeless continue as the city wages increasing assaults against the poor citizens of this community.

We have voiced numerous complaints about the unhealthy conditions at the DTC.

The public at large is at risk due to the city and county officials' negligence and acts of willful misconduct concerning the public's safety.

We felt it was time to challenge these unsafe conditions and neglect of duties by our public officials.

The conditions at the DTC has always been a serious health risk, since the soap dispensers were removed, but now the swine flu epidemic is at Phase 5 and probably will reach Phase 6, a Pandemic, makes it almost criminal for officials to ignore this problem and not re-install the hand-washing equipment.

On 1:10PM PST Monday, 27 April 2009, Cliff Harrison, Church Chairman of RIVER Organization Christian Church, sent an e-mail to the State of Nevada Office of the Governor Consumer Health Assistance department requesting action on the matter.

The following is a copy of the e-mail complaint and response from the Office of the Governor:

Complaint

Our complaint concerns the Downtown Transportation Center (DTC) and the RTC Public Transportation Transit Terminal located in the City of Las Vegas at 300 N. Casino Center Blvd. Las Vegas, NV.

The men's restroom at the facility presents a severe public health risk due to unsanitary conditions.

For well over a year there have been no soap dispensers or hand-drying methods or means to wash hands at the restroom facility despite the fact basic hygiene education provided by all public and private health institutions stress the need to wash hands after going to the bathroom and to prevent transmission of disease

The spread of contagious diseases is at a high level of risk due to the negligent of local government officials on this matter.

In addition the restroom is unfit for human use due to the severe health hazard risks employed by using the facility. It is unsanitary and in condition to create extreme probable health risk for tourist, residents and bus drivers using the facility.

Tourist, residents, bus passengers, bus drivers, law enforcement officers and many other public employees and members of the public use this facility which in doing so presents an extreme risk of transmitting a number of highly contagious diseases and germs.

The transmission of contagious diseases to the public from this facility is overwhelmingly probable and is contrary to any established health policies.

We request that you immediately take action to enforce compliance to standard health risk protection to the public by ordering the installation of hand-washing and hand-drying equipment at the DTC men's room.

The public's health is at risk. We expect that you will give this matter the urgent attention it deserves and report to us by the e-mail provided on your investigation and results of your decision.

1:10PM PST Monday, 27 April 2009

Sincerely,
Clifford G. Harrison
Church Chairman
RIVER Organization Christian Church

In less than two hours, the complaint was forwarded from the Director to the Executive Assistant to the Director for processing.

Reply
Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 12:13 PM

Dear Mr. Harrison:

Thank you for your recent email correspondence to the Office of the Governor, Consumer Health Assistance, regarding the conditions of a restroom facility you recently visited at the Downtown Transportation Center (DTC) and the RTC Public Transportation Transit Terminal in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Your complaint was forwarded to the Director of Government Affairs for the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada. In addition, as the RTC leases the facility from the City of Las Vegas and the City handles maintenance for the facility, your complaint was also forwarded to Mr. Larry Haugsnes, Director of Field Operations for the City of Las Vegas.

I trust that your concerns will be addressed immediately and that you will be advised of any actions taken to do so. If not, please follow-up with Mr. Haugsnes at 702-229-1030.

Thank you again for contacting our office.

Shanna Munson
Executive Asst to the Director
Office of the Governor
Consumer Health Assistance
(Contact Information Omitted)
Let us help you!

Original Message Forwarded

From: Valerie Rosalin On Behalf Of Cha
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2009 3:02 PM
To: Shanna P. Munson

Please forward to the proper authorities.
Thank you

Valerie M. Rosalin, RN, BSN, MSHSA, CPUR
Director
Office of the Governor
Consumer Health Assistance
Let us help you!

Our Reply Back To State

Tue, Apr 28, 2009 at 11:04 PM

To Shanna P. Munson;

Thank you for your early reply. We appreciate your concern and attention on this matter.

Sincerely,
Clifford G. Harrison
Church Chairman
RIVER Organization Christian Church

So far we have heard nothing from either the county or the city but we will extend a limited amount of time before taking the matter to the next level if our complaint continues to be ignored.

We will keep you informed of any developments.

Previous Articles Concerning the Health Risks at DTC

DTC Changes Needed (Thursday, October 9, 2008)
City of Hostility (Monday, October 6, 2008)

See the Photos In the Sidebar to the Left
(Photos by Cliff Harrison Copyright © 2009 Used by RIVER Organization Christian Church with permission.)

UPDATE: Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Follow up Letter to Office of the Governor, Nevada State Health Department:

To date there has been no reply or contact to us or any kind of action taken to install soap dispensers at the DTC restrooms.

We are not interested in "following up" with the City or the County since they are the ones who removed the soap dispensers and have ignored our request for over one full year.

We would like to keep our communication lines open with the State of Nevada. We will allow a limited amount of time to enable the State of Nevada to force the City and County into compliance and to bring the sanitary conditions up to public health standards.

However, at that expiration, we will bring whatever legal action we deem necessary to force the compliance in protecting the public's health.

It is our dearest hope that the State of Nevada deems these conditions as serious as we do and takes the appropriate action to avoid unnecessary litigation.

We appreciate your concern.

10:03 PM PDT Wednesday, 13 May 2009

Sincerely,
Clifford G. Harrison
Church Chairman
RIVER Organization Christian Church

They Got Him

2009-01-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

"You Can Never Beat the Big One."

As Our admired friend, Gerry Spence, is fond of saying. The renowned trial lawyer and brilliant author of a number of books and articles has written about murder and the inability to beat it. "You can never beat the big one," Mr. Spence quotes a friend in a blog article entitled, On Murder.

What Gerry describes in his article On Murder, in his blog Gerry Spence's Blog, is that you can't get away with murder, no matter what. Even if you are acquitted by a jury, sooner or later you'll pay the price for the murder rap, if you are guilty, rather you are found guilty or not.
Read More>>> Gerry Spence On Murder

Spence Makes Us Think and Rethink
The two loves I have beyond God, writing and work, and family, is reading and talking to other people and visiting their blogs and being pen pals with the great Gerry Spence on his blog. I think he is a master writer and his eloquent ideas to stimulate change gives thoughts which caution our lynch-mob attitude as a society and makes us wonder if we indeed are a society making the right decisions.

Gerry Spence's stimulating words and writings reflect the questions we as a society must ask ourselves what we are as a nation, what we are as a people. What do we really stand for? Who are we?

I've always admired Gerry Spence's courtroom battles as he defended the accused, representing the poor, the injured, the forgotten and the damned against what he calls "the new slave master," mammoth corporation and mammoth government on the Gerry Spence Website.

To me, he is a remarkable professional skilled both in law and penmanship. He is one of the few lawyers I have ever liked, and his writings reflect the will to share his ideas which cry for change. And, the need for change is something we need to start paying attention to in small towns of America to the largest of our cities.

Brushfires in the Minds of Criminals Politically Set
With the wave of violence against homeless citizens and the deaths of them across our nation; we must ponder where all of this hate is generated from. Does the voice of our political leaders, from city mayors to city councils to county commissioners, echoed in the mass media, cause this stimulation of hate crimes against the nations poor?

Are our governmental leaders inciting hate-crime brush fires in the minds of would-be murders and violence mongers who are easily persuaded to commit hideous crimes against the homeless?

Do our political leaders and the actions of our law enforcement agencies send a message to those easily swayed toward violence that it is okay with society to attack, beat, commit violence, and even murder the homeless citizens of our society?

Another Killing of a Homeless Citizen and Another Killer Is Caught.
The Los Angeles Times reported on 23 January 2009, "Suspect is held in homeless man's fiery death in Los Angeles". Read More>>>The Full LA Times Story

The Los Angeles Police Department promised the family of John Robert McGraham, 55, they would find the killer who doused the homeless man in gasoline last fall, set fire to him and murdered him in the most torturous, barbaric way, by burning him to death.

Although the family had their doubts, the LAPD followed through with their promise and apprehended one Benjamin Mathew Martin, 30, who allegedly murdered McGraham because he had a grudge against the homeless.

Of course, Martin must be considered innocent until proven guilty and he will have his day in court. If he is in fact the real killer, his statements and actions, according to police, about having a dislike toward homeless people as a reason for the killing is an alarming statement.

Violence Against the Homeless From LA to Miami
Martin echoed the statement of one Sedrek A. Singleton, the confessed murderer of Todd Hill, the 41-year-old Gulf War Veteran who was murdered by having his head bashed in while he slept on a bench over looking the Miami River in Florida. In that case, Sedrek A. Singleton was charged with first degree murder. Singleton said Hill had looked at him ''the wrong way,'' according to the police report. The Christmas Day aftermath was one of hundreds of violence against the homeless stories to spread like blood waves across America.

In case after case after case, when a perpetrator is finally caught in one of these horrendous homeless hate crimes which leads to death of the innocent and defenseless, the motivation for murder is something stupid and no-reason-to-kill statements like, "I didn't like the way he looked" or "I didn't like the way he looked at me."

In the two above murder cases of homeless citizens two murders have allegedly been caught. Until they are tried and convicted, we must assume their innocence. But the fact remains, homeless people are dying all across America from murder. And those savage murders are alive and real.

Nothing less than a fair and honest trial is deserved for the two suspects mention above. Without being provided fair trials we as a nation have failed to exist and we become nothing more than lynch mobs. But with that said, the innocent homeless citizens on the streets of America deserve equal protection from the brutal violence against them as well.

Someone is the murderer or murderers. That is a given. And the reasons for the murders of the homeless can be no less than a hate crime. No reason to kill, but yet we hear time and time again, "I didn't like him."

The Call for Change
We must, as a city, as a county, as a local community and as a nation, take a good, long, hard look at ourselves and ask ourselves, why is there so much violence against the homeless?

Are our political leaders inciting this hatred and starting brush fires in the minds of cold blooded murders? If so, then we must remove from office those political leaders who are inciting murder of the homeless and the barbaric violence against the poor.

City by city, county by county all across America, we the people must rise up and remove from office those political figures that incite murder with the wickedness of their mouths and their hostile program agendas against the homeless. We as a people can not let stand the evil administrations which directly cause the waves of violence against the homeless all across the homelands of America.

Governments officials, politicians and law enforcement may not say directly "Go out and kill and perform hate crimes" but their words and actions of attack upon the homeless have the same meaning and foster the same emotions in the minds of those with murderous, hateful intent.

We must hold these elected officials personally and directly responsible for their incitation of the hate crimes against the homeless, and rid our governmental offices of their evil beings.

We must send a clear and unequivocal message to our elected officials and those violent elements which desire to do harm against the defenseless homeless citizen.

That message is, we will no longer stand for the violence against the homeless and the price you will pay for your evil actions will be a big one.

The social profiling of homeless citizens must end. Governmental administrations, law enforcement and hate-crime perpetrators must end their social profiling of the homeless citizens of America and be condemned by the laws of our nation.

Social profiling against the homeless citizen is unconstitutional, it is against civil liberty laws and against human rights laws and those who choose to social profile the homeless ought to be faced with the maximum sentence for violating the laws which are designed to protect ALL PEOPLE.

Crossing Over the Line
There is a fine line between good and evil. Between justice and injustice. Between good cops and bad cops. Between good trial lawyers and bad trial lawyers. Between being convicted of guilt when innocent and being set free when guilty. Between life and death. But as Gerry Spence so eloquently states, "You can never beat the big one". Sooner or later evil surrenders to good.

Yes, Mr. Spence, I agree, the revenge of "the big one" has no mercy.

Sooner or later, evil surrenders to good.

Cliff Harrison

Homeward Bound

2008-12-21T13:54:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Have a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Another Classic Case of American Stupidity

2008-11-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

Wildfires Set by Homeless Man

Steven Butcher, a mentally ill homeless man, was convicted for igniting two Californian forest fires and sentenced to almost four years in federal prison. He was also ordered to pay more than 100 million dollars in restitution.

The 2002 and 2006 wildfires were unintentionally set by a homeless man with mental Illness.

The Smokey Bear Image is provided by: Unlisted Images, Inc.

Butcher receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI) of about $1,000 per month. From SSI, he will be required to pay toward the $100 million in restitution.

This presents another classic example of American stupidity; the ignorance of our justice system and the ignorance of our social system. Butcher is mentally ill, but we suppose in the eyes of the law that does not mean insane. Being insane may have given Butcher a legal means to escape punishment and restitution. California wildfires can be pretty costly. The stupidity of the federal government and the U.S. Attorney's Office to bring to trial a mentally-ill man and then attempt to gain more than 100 million dollars in payments from a homeless man demonstrates just how stupid our current system really is.

LA TIMES Article: Homeless Man Sentenced In Two Wildfire Cases

"Wanted to send a message to people that if you're engaged in this kind of activity, you may be held liable."--a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office

Can mentally-ill people understand the rationality of their liability?

We already know that just one of the wildfires homeless Steven Butcher was convicted of cost more than 100 million dollars and a month-long effort to suppress. We also know that like all California wildfires, numerous injuries (and often deaths), structures destroyed and thousands of acres of forest were lost, yet every year these blazes repeat their destructive rage.

What will be the end cost of this inferno? The court costs? The federal prison costs? The probationary costs? The costs to collect the "restitution"? And an endless array of other costs related to this single case?

How much would it have cost to properly provide adequate housing?

How much would it have cost for properly supervised mental health? Properly supervised attention to medical conditions? Properly supervised guidance counseling?

The answers are blowing in the wind, but let's hope those winds aren't fueling and feeding the wildfires which will ravish and blaze against the American society.

What are the costs associated with our failure to seriously address homelessness nationwide?

Are those costs eventually more due to examples such as these wildfires? What about police, fire, paramedic, ambulance, emergency rooms, hospitals, other medical attention, court cases and many more social attentions applied toward the homeless population? Those costs, if tallied, are astronomical.

If we as a nation choose to neglect the issues of homelessness, homelessness will continue to cost us more than if we addressed the issues and solved the homeless problem in America. It will continue to cost us much, much more.

"But we'll do everything we can to recover whatever we can from him."--U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Los Angeles Times

That is probably what everyone in Butcher's entire life has said to or about him. It certainly will be echoed for the rest of his life.

We are not advocating a do-nothing-approach toward Steven Butcher, but we certainly question the additional expenses of taxpayer's dollars toward the mistakes of a mentally-ill homeless man that society neglected in the first place.

California has done little in previous decades to prevent forest fires. They have had plenty of time in the past decades to come up with a better system to prevent forest fires from becoming wildfires. Man alone is not the cause of all forest fires; nature is also a contributing factor, especially lightning. Dryness and winds contribute, too. Are we going to have God pay for restitution? Or, are we going to sentence God to federal prison? California has always loved to have someone else pay for its mistakes. This case, nor the one in recent news about spreading wildfires, is no exception.

The preceding is but one example of American stupidity. We will present many more in subsequent editorials or elsewhere in the RIVER Organization's Family of Websites.

We thank our own local homeless citizen, "The Homeless Native", for his contribution toward the creation and research for this editorial.

How You Can Help Prevent Forest Fires:
SmokeyBear Wildfires

SmokeyBear.com

SmokeyBear Wildfires Burning: Real Time Wildfire Map-Current Large Incidents

DTC Changes Needed

2008-10-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

What could the officials of the City of Las Vegas do in order to make the city friendlier to the homeless people?

We will start with the situations needing change at the Downtown Transportation Center (DTC) as a first option. Although there are numerous things the city needs to do in order to correct its wrongful hostility toward the homeless, we will focus only on the DTC in this editorial.

The city needs to install soap dispenses filled with soap in the men's room between the bus boarding platforms.

The conditions in that restroom are not only a public health hazard; they are a total disrespect for the passengers who have paid good money for their fares.

Be the passenger rich or poor, they deserve a common area to wash their hands after using public restroom facilities.

Passengers and bus drivers deserve the protection from communicable diseases. The spread of infectious diseases can not be contained any better than by providing soap and water to wash hands during a visit to a public restroom.

The DTC restrooms present unsanitary conditions the city is responsible for creating and thus leaves the city liable for the contaminations and poor health conditions it creates.

Good health is a basic human right. The city can prevent the spread of infectious diseases by bringing the DTC restrooms up to public health codes.

People have the right to maintain good hygiene.

Just because there are some around the public property who have poor hygiene is no excuse to punish those who wish to exercise good hygiene.

We can not fathom why the city would leave itself open to such a huge liability in its choice to not only ignore, but to encourage a great health risk.

Bus drivers and passengers using the toilets and urinals handle bus passes, bus interior surfaces, touch each other, and concession stand counter and other surfaces without washing their hands after doing their business.

This practice of endangering the health of the public must be stopped and must be stopped immediately.

God only knows how many people are getting sick because the city does not provide means to wash and dry hands in its public restrooms.

We know the reason the city does not provide sanitary provisions. The city officials do not want the homeless to shave or bath.

City property is littered with such signs prohibiting shaving and bathing, and that is the culprit under the rock which we have just lifted.

The city must also stop waking up harmless homeless people who sleep around the DTC at night and at day. Those who are not misbehaving are not harming anyone.

The city must begin to provide 24-hour City Marshal protection at DTC, which is a 24-hour operation. The violence and crime which escalates during the night time is out of the scope of the current security guards. Their primary job is to wake up homeless people--a practice which must stop.

The city marshals need to staff the property at night, and if they can't do it they should dissolve the marshal's office and let Metro handle it.

The nightshift is when the most police force needs to be present. That is elementary.

With the City Marshals conducting nighttime security at DTC there is less likelihood the soap dispensers will be damaged. Usually they are damaged because they contained no soap. So, add a 24-hour janitor and the city will develop the kind of public service it should be providing.

Not a service for just the homeless, or for just some people, but for ALL people who use the public facilities.

The city needs to begin projecting a good image to the community. There is no better place to start than at the DTC.

Mother Teresa: The Humanitarian

2008-09-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

From a sign on the wall of Shishu Bhavan, the Children's home in Calcutta

"Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or sovereign. ... You must weep that your own government, at present, seems blind to this truth."
-- Mother Teresa
[Agnes Gonxha Beiaxhiu] (1910-1997)
Humanitarian, Nobel Peace Prize 1979

"There must be a reason why some people can afford to live well. They must have worked for it. I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use."
Mother Teresa (1910-1997), A Gift for God, 1975. http://www.epa.gov/Region2/library/quotes.htm

Whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31

[Sources: http://home.att.net/~hillcrestbaptist/anyway.html ]

Next to Jesus Christ, Mother Teresa, was the most popular humanitarian leader of all times. Her selfless humanitarian work set an example the world over for good works.

"Let us all learn a lesson about giving from 1979 Nobel Peace Prize Winner & humanitarian leader Mother Teresa, who during her lifetime gave herself entirely to the cause of alleviating the suffering and despair of countless persons in India and providing a source of inspiration to persons worldwide. Mother Teresa's Home for the Dying in Calcutta, India offered a place of final respite for the homeless, sick, elderly, and neglected persons that she and her colleagues literally rescued from the streets. She provides an example of true moral leadership and self-sacrifice in the name of Charity and compassion. We cannot stand idly by as so many in this world suffer; we can no longer pretend to be ignorant about what is going on in the world today; the time for us ALL to make a difference is NOW. " --Visions Global Empowerment

http://visionseducation.blogspot.com/2007/10/mother-teresa-speaks-on-poverty-giving.html

Listen to Mother Teresa speak on poverty and giving on the Visions Global Empowerment website.

She helped develop the Missionaries of Charity, an organization that spread to over 100 countries and helped both the sick and the poor. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and the Medal of Freedom from the United States in 1985.

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." - Mother Theresa

"Happiness comes from spiritual wealth, not material wealth… Happiness comes from giving, not getting. If we try hard to bring happiness to others, we cannot stop it from coming to us also. To get joy, we must give it, and to keep joy, we must scatter it." – John Templeton

"The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it." -- Mother Teresa

"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person." -- Mother Teresa

"Good works are links that form a chain of love." --Mother Teresa

"God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try." -- Mother Teresa

"If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one."--Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was famous for one-liner inspirational quotes. Her wisdom, her faith, her love, and her great deeds sets an example for the world to follow.

The perils of the homeless here in Las Vegas are hidden from the world's eyes to see. As I've written recently, on the RIVER Organization's main webpage and in Homeward Bound" Voices From the Streets", sleep deprivation, lack of adequate shelter and food, and hostilities against a people of poverty, a people of lost hope, is a tragic event to witness.

Yet, I hold hope for the future. Those living in destitution in Las Vegas are perhaps not nearly as unfortunate as the ones Mother Teresa looked after, yet people who are without love hunger for it as much as any other human being. Without love we can not heal those who are forgotten by society. As Mother Teresa says, the lack of love, being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, is a greater poverty than being hungry and homeless. Going without sleep is a hunger greater than any want or need for food, a thirst greater than any need for water. And when you combine the lack of all of these things, love, sleep, food, water you find a people, if left abandoned long enough, who will withdraw from society so far, to a point, they may never come back.

L.A. Makes Hostile Move Toward the Poor

2008-07-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas--It may not be intentional, but the decision of the City of Los Angeles to ban fast food for impoverish South Los Angeles must be considered a hostile move toward the poor.

News reports this morning tell a story about how L.A. officials unanimously voted for a year-long moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in a 32-square mile radius, targeting mostly South L.A., a poverty stricken community.

The moratorium only needs the approval by the full city council and Mayor Villaraigosa's signature.

Read the Full msnbc News Story

L.A. city officials claim their reasoning for the moratorium is because of "health" issues. They are concerned about overweight people. L.A. follows other cities across the nation with similar bans.

Once again, it shows how out-of-touch public officials are with their community and the people.

Should government be forcing people how to eat? An msnbc poll we took this morning questioned, "Should local government limit fast-food restaurants?"
20% said, "Yes", obesity is an epidemic so it's a matter of public health.
80% said, "No", it's unfair to blame fast-food restaurants for fat people."
msnbc POLL

We take offence for the wording of the poll, but the poll clearly shows people oppose the move.
Many people struggle with obesity, but their are numerous support groups and education channels which are available to them.

READ WHAT PEOPLE THINK

Each time government moves into the lives of the people something worst seems to happen.

Our government moved to create bi-fuels and paid farmers not to grow wheat, or corn for human and livestock consumption, but to grow corn for fuels. We see world-wide starvation as a result of this corn for the fuel tanks rather than corn for the belly government interference. Currently politicians in Washington D.C. on both sides endorse more corn grown for fuel and a reduction in wheat and corn for human consumption.

Government messing with the free enterprise system, of fair competition and the law of supply and demand, can also end with a disastrous result.

A ban on plastic bags as well? Um, there is a problem here, folks. A serious problem!

What's most alarming about this L.A. idea is the impact it will have on the poor, particularly the homeless.

Los Angeles County is the homeless capital of the world.

A 2005 report showed 88,345 homeless people for L.A. county.
A 2007 report showed 73,000 homeless in L.A., down slightly.
But a 2008 report showed 141,737 people to be homeless at some point during the course of the year.

On any given night, a total of 68,608 people are homeless. 57,166 people (83%) living on the streets and only 11,442 people (17%) living in shelters or transitional housing. 40,114 of these are for the City of Los Angeles.

I have read reports, which often conflict, that up to 250,000 people experience homelessness in L.A. county at any given time during the year.

The 2006 U.S. Census Bureau report shows Los Angeles County, California as having a population of 9,948,081.

The NCY Department of City Planning in 2006 showed a population of the city at 8,250,567.

The NCY 2008 homeless population is said to be 38,000 living in shelters or transitional housing and only 3,306 living on the streets. Over 100,000 people experience homelessness each year in NYC.

The City of Las Vegas, where most homeless people are in this city, has a population of 602,697. The Las Vegas Metro area population is just under 2 million people. Yet, Las Vegas has approximately 15,000 homeless people with over 50,000 people experiencing homelessness at some time during the year.

Current HUD figures show Las Vegas as having 11,369 homeless and 50,400 experiencing homeless at some point throughout the year. These figures are often disputed, however.

Las Vegas is currently in dire strait when it comes to the number of homeless people compared to the population of the city and those populations of L.A. and NYC.

One homeless person is too many. The impact such laws as the one being enacted in L.A. is hostile toward the homeless and poor.

Sit-down, eat-in restaurants don't offer value meals. In most fast-food restaurants the homeless can find a meal for a dollar that will relieve the hunger pang.

Rather people are thin or large, they should have the right to choose. Poor people need to be able to find economical places to eat. Health issues over obesity is secondary to the primary issue of surviving on the streets.

Let the free enterprise system judge which businesses survive and which ones do not. Let poor people survive. The more fast-food joints the more likely prices will remain low.

Officials need to take a course in Americanism 101. And while they are at it, they need to pick up a dictionary and define the word "all." All people need to be considered when government makes a decision, and that includes the homeless and the poor.

2008-07-15T21:13:00.000-07:00

Free Counter

PHANTOM 403

2008-07-04T22:22:00.001-07:00

Phantom 403
Las Vegas—With the mayor’s mug high on top of the RTC (Regional Transportation Commission) commissioner’s photo gallery at the DTC (Downtown Transportation Center) terminal building lobby, we assume he knows what’s going on with bus routes in the city of homeless love.

Was 403 eliminated to further punish the homeless? We can’t think of any other reason since that bus was always full of passengers going down Homeless Corridor, to the smoke-shop, St. Vincent's Catholic Charity, Salvation Army family center, Shade Tree women's and children shelter, and the Salvation Army shelter on Owens Ave.

We know about the 113 over on Las Vegas Blvd North, but the point is if the pencil pushers of bus route scheduling bothered to look they would notice many of those passengers are elderly and handicapped.

The city needs to apply some mercy on the homeless. Being mean doesn't make it come clean.

Perhaps the city doesn’t like the idea of lost tax revenue from customers using the Indian smoke shop instead of more costly smoke shops in the city.

Return the 403 to the Main Street run and provide real service for the people of the city instead of continued punishment.

Who Are The Homeless?

2008-06-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas, Nevada USA--Homelessness has no single cause. Numerous events and conditions cause homelessness.

There is no single classification of what or who a homeless person is. Society often makes a distinction or classification and that classification is often wrong. The uninformed society generally classifies homeless people in one group; lazy drunks and drug addicts who don't want to work. Slackers!

Homeless people come from all walks of life. People become homeless for all kinds of individual reasons. No two identically alike.

During the last couple of years I have interchanged, mingled, conversed with, monitored or observed and interviewed hundreds of homeless people. Read The Full Story

Click & Switch

2008-06-28T16:39:00.000-07:00

Click & Switch Between Homeward Bound Publications:

To quickly Click & Switch from Homeward Bound: "Voices From the Streets" to Homeward Bound: "The Homeless Voice", or back and forth, simply click on "View My Complete Profile" in the About US element in the upper corner of either publication and then switch to the desired destination.

Our Theme Song: Simon & Garfunkel HOMEWARD BOUND

2008-06-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

HOMEWARD BOUND

The Homeless Voice

2008-06-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS-- On this trial run of the Homeward Bound: "The Homeless Voice" we ran into problems with the layout. There are no elements like other blogs templates. This presented a stumbling block for us. Since we like the color & design of this template and it's overall format, we challenge our dilemma.

Everyday we run into stumbling blocks. This day is no different than any other day. We just need to find our way around the obstacles which try to defeat us.

"The Homeless Voice" will do just that, try to help you find your way around the obstacles standing in your path to prosperity.

Homeless people are faced with obstacles everyday. Homeward Bound: "The Homeless Voice" will attempt to make those struggles of the homeless less burdensome.

Well, if two brains are better than one, then perhaps two web pages are better than one. The Lord provides a reason for everything.

Your minds and our minds will work together to find the solutions to our problems. We offer two electronic street newspapers to serve the needs of homeless people. We hope you are excited about this new venture as we are.

Now, it's time we roll up our sleeves and go to work!

Thank you for joining us. We look forward to working together to help make life easier for those on the streets--the homeless.

http://homewardboundthehomelessvoice.blogspot.com/ Please come back to visit us soon. Thanks!

Contact Us: mailto:HomelessHomewardBound@gmail.com

Please Leave A Comment. THANK YOU!

Our First Words & Our Prayer Song

2008-06-25T14:32:00.001-07:00

Testing a written post. We like it! Now what else can you do?

We can pray! We begin with a prayer. So, let's all go down to the River and pray. We pray for the success of the RIVER Organization. We pray for all of the homeless men, women and children in the world. We pray for all of the families and individuals who have experienced hardship in these troubled times. We pray that the ideas of the Homeward Bound Publications will be fruitful ones. Two electronic street newspapers to serve the homeless and those in destitution. With all of our heart, we pledge to do right. With all of the righteousness that we can provide them with, we promise to identify wrong and expose injustice. We pray that our Father in Heaven will lead us on a course of victory.

Now, lets go have some fun with this. Shall we?

Down To The River to Pray By Alison Krauss