Big Crowd For Edwards' Reno Visit

While the early reviews on John Edwards' Reno visit were fairly good, the bigger news may have the unexpectedly large crowd that greeted the 2008 Democratic Presidential candidate Friday evening.

With early estimates from various bloggers ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 audience members, that has to be good news for a campaign expecting 500.

The early blog posts:
The Next President Visits Nevada
Reno Rambler
Fo0bar
Scobleizer

Saddam Hussein Executed

Arab television networks have reported deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was executed minutes ago.

After a U.S. judge refused to stop the proceedings Friday, Hussein was hanged early Saturday morning in Baghdad's Green Zone. The execution, which was filmed, was witnessed by a doctor, lawyer and Iraqi officials. Also, reportedly hanged were Saddam's half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti and former Judge Awad al-Bander.

Hussein was sentenced to death after being found guilty of ordering the killing of 148 Shiites in Dujail as retaliation for a failed assassination attempt by militants in 1982.

Al Jazeera Network

MSNBC

BBC

Sen. John Edwards To Visit Reno Friday

Former U.S. Senator and 2004 Democratic Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards will hold a Town Hall meeting in Reno Friday, December 29, at the Grand Sierra Resort (formerly the Reno Hilton). The visit will come on the heels of his expected announcement Thursday of his entry into the 2008 Presidential race.

Edwards will address the crowd for approximately 20 minutes, followed by a half-hour Q&A session with audience members. The Senator will also spend time mingling with the crowd before meeting with the media. And, in a sign that blogs might just play a role in Nevada politics after all, bloggers will be credentialed guests and allowed to interview Edwards before the event.

The meeting will be held in the Silver State Pavilion of the Grand Sierra Resort (2500 East 2nd St.). Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

For tickets, click here.

Top 10 Nevada Blogging Stories of 2006

What's a late December without a ubiquitous Top 10 list?

So in keeping with that time-honored tradition, we take a look back at 2006 for the most interesting stories regarding the world of Nevada blogging. And, seeing how this is all from the eyes of a guy who didn't start his blog until August, it is by no means the definitive list. It also is in no particular order of importance.

1. Big Media Moves In -- The Reno Gazette Journal (RGJ) continued its push into the world of blogs with 19 at last count, ranging from politics to dogs.

2. RNR Cover Story -- Blogging makes the front cover of the 11/09 edition of the Reno News and Review and, in the fine tradition of diverse groups everywhere, controversy erupts in the community over some of the comments made.

3. Blog Proliferation -- With the number of blogs worldwide fast approaching 60 million, Nevada did their part with a flurry of activity in 2006. Whether political ones such as David Bobzien's, community ones like the well-done Around Carson or a round-up of all like at Nevada Blogs, the Silver State added its share to the blogosphere.

4. Cobblergate -- With his sudden appearance in the lull of the political primary season flinging charges against AD-26 candidate Ty Cobb Jr. and a curious domain registration in an opponent's name, the anonymous CobbGobbler livened up the political scene and spurred on investigations by fellow bloggers. In the end, though, Cobb won and the Gobbler quit posting.

5. Four More Years For Scandalmonger -- Thanks to Jim Gibbons' victory in November, Scandalmonger (longtime nemesis of Gibbons and anonymous blogger of Vote Gibbons Out) will have at least four more years to ply his trade and sell the occasional t-shirt. If he's lucky, maybe even eight.

6. Blogging To Hit TV Airwaves -- Coming on the heels of the RNR story on North State blogging, Reno's KREN-27 tapped Ryan Jerz to be the community correspondent covering blogs for their new 10 p.m. newscast slated to start this week.

7. RGJ's Blog Round-Up -- The biggest thing to drive site traffic since the invention of Paris Hilton, the RGJ's James Ball and his daily round-up of interesting local blogs has been a boon to area bloggers with a mention virtually guaranteeing a significant bump in hits. Truly a blogger's best friend.

8. Nevada's New, Earlier Democratic Caucus -- With Nevada Democrats moving their 2008 Presidential caucus from the insignificant summer months up to February, it means a plethora of news possibilities for political bloggers and, perhaps, the occasional ad dollar.

9. 2006 Election Fodder -- Whether on a national scale, like Iraq and Mark Foley, or the more homegrown, Gibbons' late campaign stumbles, there were plenty of political scandals to keep area bloggers busy.

10. Miss Nevada -- Though not all of Nevada's blogs jumped on the December gift of the naughty pictures scandal that cost Katie Rees her crown, those that did were richly rewarded with visits.

Nevada Libertarians Did Gain Ballot Access Despite In-Fighting and Down Year

Akin to the quarterback sneak, the Libertarian Party of Nevada (LPN) did squeak by for ballot status in 2008 (contrary to our earlier report).

Although none of the main Libertarian candidates, of which there were just a handful, garnered the needed one percent of the total votes in Nevada's congressional races (5,748), an unlikely hero emerged despite, apparently, not having the blessings of party leaders.

Tom Koziol won 5,852 votes with his fourth-place finish in the Washoe County Assessor race. The fact he was even in the race was due to party chairman, and U.S. Senate candidate, Brendan Trainor placing Koziol on the ballot with an amended list of nominees (which he was legally able to do) that apparently wasn't approved by other party leaders. Trainor was removed from his chairmanship for the action and the rift between North and South libertarians widened a little more. Despite Koziol's gift of ballot access, and freeing the LPN from the arduous task of collecting signatures for 2008, his feat went unmentioned on the party's official web site.

Overall, 2006 was a down year for the Libertarian party as their U.S. House vote total failed to crack one million for the first time in six years. Their 608K total continued a downward trend from when they gained 1.73M votes in 2000. In 2004, Libertarians earned 1.03M votes.

MySpace Pics Doom Miss Nevada; A Visit From Iran; and "Best Blog Of The Year" Honor

With politics slowing down, except for those entering and exiting hypothetical runs for the Presidency, we'll take a look at recent developments here in Nevada and Dullard Mush.

Miss Nevada Deposed

Apparently hard partying and the occasional canoodling with other women is only hazardous to pageant queens who haven't ascended to Miss USA status.

Although Miss USA head, Donald Trump, spared current queen Tara Conner from the humiliation of losing her crown (after, surprise, weeks of airing every sordid detail in the press), he apparently had no qualms dumping Miss Nevada Katie Rees today after pictures of her partying with friends in Tampa showed up on a MySpace site. Runner-up Helen Salas will replace Rees and compete in the March 2007 pageant.

And, unlike the RGJ story, the good folks over at TMZ have provided the actual pictures.

UPDATE (1/15/07): Rees has signed to host a Vegas showroom act and is reportedly in negotiations to pose in Playboy.

Visitor from Iran

One of the interesting features of tracking site visitors is seeing where they are from. While we have had hits from a surprisingly wide variety of countries over the months, we just had our first visit from the Middle East. A lone internet surfer from Salmas, Iran, stopped by to peruse our story regarding new Intelligence head Silvestre Reyes and his knowledge of al Qaeda. He also checked out a couple more pages and made a perma-link. Interesting.

"Best Blog of the Year"

In a major surprise, Dullard Mush was named "Best Blog of the Year" by Todd Zuccato and his Northern Nevada Conservative site. And, while perhaps a little less prestigious than the Time magazine Person of the Year award we recently received, it will be a lot less crowded on the dais. Thank you Todd. It's always nice to be noticed.

Another 10 Questions With State Senator Bob Beers

With the all the controversy swirling around Bob Beers' proposal to allow school teachers to carry guns, we decided to go ahead and ask the always candid Nevada state senator what it really was about. And, within a half-hour no less, we had our answer.

Feeling lucky, we also bombarded Beers about his upcoming bills regarding helmet laws and the Millennium Scholarship, the chances of Full-Day kindergarten passing, Ty Cobb's bill to limit benefits to illegal immigrants and the all-important question of why exactly does new Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley apparently cause fellow legislators to quake in their boots.

1) Your Bill Draft Request (BDR-1018) for allowing school teachers to be armed has garnered a lot of press, with quite a few pundits having fun with it, painting pictures of wild west shootouts in the hallways and carnage in the classrooms. But what exactly would your legislation do if passed?

See the first story on my website, http://www.beers4nevada.org/.

[From site: As a public service, Front Sight plans to offer Nevada teachers, at no charge, a 40 Hour Concealed Carry, Armed Teacher Training Course involving Classroom Lectures, Range Drills under time Pressure from 3 meters to 25 meters, and Live Fire Tactical Simulators.

There would be no cost to government, no mandate placed on anyone, minimal cost to the teacher, and students (or unauthorized adults) would be less likely to bring guns on campus if they knew there were responsible and armed adults around.

The alternative - banning guns in schools - was done over 20 years ago in Nevada. But that isn’t working. There are 50 guns per year confiscated on-campus in the Clark County School District alone. Washoe County is probably a third to half that number. And neither district is prepared for an attack by terrorists.]

2) In times past it seems like most gun legislation tends to follow on the heels of a specific incident, but this one appears to have come from out of nowhere. What prompted you to introduce BDR-1018?

See the first story on my website.

[From site: 334 dead, 160 of them children. That was the result after a handful of Muslim terrorists seized a school in Russia in late 2003. Could Muslim terrorists in America - frustrated by their inability to seize a loaded jetliner - repeat that incident on our shores?

And - if they did - would having an armed resistance inside the school create a less destructive outcome?]

3) What do you think the odds are that BDR-1018 will pass in the Senate? Assembly? Jim Gibbons?

They’re good. It makes no sense to me to advertise our public schools to international terrorists as defense-free zones.

4) Speaking of Governor Gibbons, I believe you have been named to one of his transition teams. A lot of people have made light of the size of his team, upwards of 200 people. Does there really need to be that many people for a transition, or is it more a case of throwing a few bones to people (not that you needed a bone or anything)? Plus, how many times do you think you'll actually meet before the swearing in?

I met with Gov. Gibbons twice today. I think the point of the transition team is to create a process to formalize the gathering of a wide diversity of opinion, which the governor will consider in developing his policy initiatives. Some of us will find our ideas adopted; some will not. My initial impression, by the way, is that Nevada is much better off with Gov. Gibbons than we’ve been with Gov. Guinn.

5) Back to legislation, I noticed you have a BDR (798) that eliminates Nevada's helmet laws. Always popular with the motorcycle crowd, who can be quite effective as citizen lobbyists, how do you think it will fare with the legislature? And would it pertain to all motorcyclists or will there be an age limit ( e.g., under 18 must still wear one)?

If it were up to me, I would require the motorcycle safety training course before allowing campers to ride the quarter mile from their campsite to the camp restroom without a helmet. This, it seems to me, is enough compromise with the nanny government crowd to warrant the use of common sense.

6) You also have suggested some changes in the Millennium Scholarship (BDR-472). What exactly would your bill change?

Eligibility would no longer be based on grade point average and would be based on one’s class standing. If you are in the top half of your graduating class, you get a MS. Today, our middle school counselors tell eighth-graders: “Here are the 22.5 credits you need to get a diploma. If you achieve an average B grade, we’ll give you a free full-ride scholarship. Now, each of these classes comes in easy, medium or hard. Which would you like?” which has institutionalized underperformance in Clark and Washoe counties, and doubled the percentage of freshmen remanded to remedial classes.

7) The 2006 election, as you well know, was quite contentious from primary to the general, especially in the gubernatorial race, do you think any lingering hard feelings will spill over into the 2007 session?

The city of Henderson won’t look to the Senate minority leader to carry their water. That’s not a big deal, since the city of Henderson will spend a cool million bucks on its 2007 lobbying effort. That will be less than Washoe County will spend, but more than the city of Sparks will spend.

8) As a former member of the assembly, and one to never mince words, perhaps you can shed a little light on something that apparently is a given. No matter who it is, from Jon Ralston to Ray Hagar to Molly Ball, when it comes to articles describing new Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley they almost universally talk of her striking the fear of God in her fellow legislators. Despite the prose devoted to her apparent powers to turn opponents to dust with the slightest of glares, there never is any examples given as to why this is. Was there a specific incident that forever made its mark on the legislature and pundits everywhere, or is it more akin to an urban legend? And, if not a legend, is Garn Mabey and Gibbons truly in trouble?

I am too scared to comment.

9) Full-day kindergarten appears to be a priority in 2007. Do you think a proposal to make it statewide will pass the senate? If so, do you think the governor will sign it?

Full Day K offers no benefit. A Legislative Council Bureau report from earlier this year concluded “there is no evidence of any impact beyond the first grade for all students.” I doubt a proposal to fund full-day K will get out of the Assembly. The Senate will easily pass a proposal to stop paying competent and incompetent teachers the same. Will the Assembly pass it?

10) Incoming assemblyman Ty Cobb has proposed a bill dealing with illegal immigration and state benefits. The reaction from fellow GOP assembly members, at least from what I've read, has been relatively cool. What are your feelings on his proposals and would they find life in the senate?

Having been vilified last session by your local daily for suggesting a citizenship requirement for the Millennium Scholarship, I will sign on as a cosponsor of Ty Cobb’s bill if he will let me. Dina Titus will vote against it.

What I Learned From Koula Gianulias, or How To Know If Your Employees Are Looking To Leave

A few months ago something curious began happening. People from across the country were suddenly interested in Reno's Koula Gianulias.

Every other day or so I would check the blog stats and find a hit or two for the KOLO-8 reporter. And it wasn't always just curious locals either. There were hits from Chicago, Vegas, Arizona, Maryland, California and more. All courtesy of Google.

The story they were checking wasn't especially interesting or even about her. In fact, it was one of my first postings, regarding a candidate who had withdrawn from his primary. I did, though, source it to Gianulias. And that, apparently, was all it took.

I even poked fun of this new phenomenon in another post where I jokingly wrote she was "apparently Googling herself a couple of times (Hi Koula)." And, yes, more hits followed.

After about a month more of Koula mania, I began to prepare a post wondering aloud what was this fascination with Gianulias (I even, fleetingly, thought to call it "Koula, Koula, Koula," but figured the Jan Brady reference would be lost.). She was a talented reporter and all, but was it simply a case of a curious extended family just checking in or something more sinister, like a well-traveled stalker keeping tabs? It was a mystery until I noticed the visit from Chicago. It had the Tribune's ISP. Suddenly, the bulb went off. Gianulias wasn't being stalked (well, at least not in the creepy way). She was being checked out by possible employers.

So, worried I might cause a problem job-wise, I dropped the idea. Then, like clockwork, I noticed Gianulias was no longer at KOLO. She was now at KOVR-13, safely ensconced in her hometown of Sacramento at their CBS affiliate.

Still, I realized I may be on to something. And I could thank Koula for it. Well sort of.

After contacting Gianulias (yes, we actually did bother her for this), it turns out she was contacted by KOVR, not vice-versa. That would explain the flurry of Sacramento hits we had received. But, gauging the number of other visits, perhaps even more stations were interested. And that is what got me to thinking. What if an employer, say a KOLO or somebody, happened to be wondering if one of their employees was looking to bolt?

We've all heard of prospective employers Googling applicants for anything incriminating, or perusing MySpace to see if you have any half-naked tequila-fueled party pics up for the world to see, but what about current employers? What's to keep a company with a web site featuring employee names and some details from taking a peek at their visitor stats. A lot of people searching for their "John Doe" from competitor ISPs would be a pretty large red flag. In fact, for the fairly devious, why not just create a site or blog with people's names to see who is checking them out? Something for the paranoid, or perhaps not so, to think about.

As for Gianulias, she did admit to "Googling" herself while in Reno and had seen our post, which she actually thought was funny (she was probably being kind). She also said most reporters did Google searches on themselves as more of a defensive measure to see if anything false is out there.

Although happy to be back home, she did want Reno to know she missed the people and all the sunshine. Plus, having covered all of Nevada's political action throughout the primaries and summer, something she was especially proud of at KOLO, she did regret not being around for the big general election (to think, she missed all the Gibbons fun). But, seeing how well she did here and considering where her new hometown is, there should be plenty of political scoops in her future

Now to see who is Googling Kara Tsuboi and Tad Dunbar. Oh, and hi Koula.

[Update: After posting this story, we immediately began receiving daily searches for "Kara Tsuboi". And, like clockwork, within two weeks she was gone from KOLO. Read the story here, along with picture.]

Byrd Says No To Earmarks, Hell Freezes Over

No, it's not a misprint.

U.S. Senator Robert Byrd (D), who has handled more "pork" than Jimmy Dean and Farmer John combined, announced a moratorium on congressional earmarks until a "reformed process is put in place."

And, in a related item, West Virginia announced their economy will collapse in 2007.

Nice To Know We Are In Good Hands

Quick quiz. Is al Qaeda mainly comprised of Sunnis or Shi'ites?

Congratulations if you correctly answered the Sunnis (they tend to be a little more intolerant than their Shi'ite brothers). You have now demonstrated more knowledge on the world's biggest terrorist organization than Silvestre Reyes.

Who is Silvestre Reyes, you ask?

He's our nation's new Democratic chairman of the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, whose duty it is to help protect us from threats like the above group.

But it gets even better, or worse depending on your perspective, when the Congressional Quarterly forged ahead and asked him about Hezbollah.

"Hezbollah. Uh, Hezbollah," stumbled the Texas congressman, "Why do you ask me these questions at five o'clock?" Apparently he is a fount of knowledge only between the hours of 1 and 3.

So how did we get stuck with Reyes?

Well the obvious choice would have been to install the top-ranking Democrat as the new chairman. But since that person was Rep. Jane Harman, and new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a longstanding beef with her fellow Californian, that meant a quick move to Plan B.

However, the next in line was Florida's Alcee Hastings. He's been in congress for 14 years. He also has the unique distinction of having been impeached by the House and removed from his federal judgeship (only the sixth ever) for accepting a $150,000 bribe. That was in 1988, by a vote of 413-3. Four years later he was elected to the House.

So Pelosi turns to Plan C and goes with Reyes, who promptly stumbles out the gate.

Reno Blogger In The News Again

Apparently supplanting Myrna the Minx as Reno's hottest blogger, Ryan Jerz (aka Mr. Jerz.org) continues his assault on all things media by scoring a stand-alone article in today's Reno Gazette Journal (RGJ).

Coming on the heels of a somewhat controversial Reno News and Review cover story on blogging, of which Jerz's comments were prominently displayed, and the recent announcement that he will cover blogs for the new KREN-27 newscast slated to start sometime this month, the RGJ "Neighborhood" story by Sevil Omer calls Jerz "...one of Reno's hottest bloggers and headline makers. He's funny, cutting edge and has a lot to say about Reno."

In the interview, Jerz gives his take on everything from how blogging can enhance the news experience to his love for the L.A. Dodgers.

Reason No. 7341 to Dislike Congress: Foley's Chat Records

While the House's investigation of former Rep. Mark Foley ended in predictable fashion, a lot of hand-wringing and posturing, what may be most notable is the official release of the disgraced congressman's instant messages to underage male pages.

And while we do gain some interesting insights into, among other things, why this Congress spends so much (Foley, or Maf54 as he was known, prefers to pay $23.95 a month for AOL when he can get the same thing for under $10) and that the youth of today just can't comprehend the Academy Award-winning plot structure of Pulp Fiction, but love the inane political series Mister Sterling (whose lone bright spot might have been the casting of international porn star Jenna Jamison in two episodes), it is those other topics that have peaked everyone's interest. You know, Foley's fondness for runners' legs and his apparent lifelong passion for the art of measuring one's Johnson.

So for those you want to get to the errr... meat of the messages, and have an especially strong stomach (Note: You have officially been warned), you might want start with pages 1 through 4 (printed pages, not propositioned pages) and then skip to the famous "grab the one-eyed snake" passage of pages 19-23.

If you haven't lost your lunch already, and you're excused if you have, then brace yourself for pages 34 through 40 where we find Foley wanting to just give the "big boy" some "happiness" and a spirited discussion on the best way to handle bodily fluids, sort of like the great "paper or plastic" debate, except a tad more nauseating.

Likewise, the finale (100-104) has the congressman in fine form, assuring a 17-year-old that he is "not a sicko" and not to "worry," and then helpfully reminds the lad to not forget to measure it for him.

Ironically, only once in the series of IMs does Foley ever seem to show even the slightest signs of worry that any of his "fun email chats" could come out. On page 56 he asks if the young man had shared any of their chats and added "that would cause some huge harm". However, after being assured it was still a secret, Foley was back talking about his favorite topic. Ruler in hand.

So Much For Cleaning The House of Corruption

Apparently ousting corrupt politicians only extends to the GOP this year, as Democratic U.S. Rep. William "Cold Cash" Jefferson won reelection in a landslide today despite being caught in a recent FBI sting.

The New Orleans congressman easily defeated fellow Democrat Karen Carter 57-43 in a run-off race that, apparently, shows corruption is still a beloved part of life in the crescent city.

Jefferson is, of course, famous for stashing $90,000 of cash in his freezer. Unfortunately, for him, the bills were marked by the FBI in a bribery sting operation that has already ensnared two of his business associates. While denying he accepted bribes, though not explaining how the cash wound up in his freezer, most legal experts expect Jefferson to be indicted.

Democratic leaders had already removed Jefferson from the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, but his presence come January will be an embarrassment that GOP leaders will make sure nobody forgets about.

International Interest in Nevada Politics?

While things political are slowing down in the Silver State, interest from various corners of the world is picking up some of the slack -- hit-wise at least.

Today's stats brought a student (I presume) from SungKyunKwan University in Seoul who did a search for "Gibbons Problems" on the Korean version of Google. Apparently we have a top-10 article there.

Another interesting blip was a search for "Chris Hansen Republican". And while the longtime Independent American would probably grimace at being mistaken for membership in the GOP, he might take some solace in the fact that the search came from Paris. The French interested in Hansen? There's a story.

And, finally, in the wee morning hours a lone internet surfer in Spain searched for "budy disney". Not sure what he wanted, but number one on Spain's Google is our story on the demise of the intrepid AD-26 candidate Richard Disney. And, much like Disney's campaign, the Spanish visitor stayed only a few seconds.

10 Questions With Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, Pt. 2

Headed back to Carson City for a fifth term, AD-27's Sheila Leslie is looking forward to what she hopes will be a productive legislative session next year.

As the new Majority Whip and with a full agenda on tap, it should at least be an interesting one.

In part one of our email interview, we talked of full-day kindergarten, what pushed her into politics and the Democratic agenda for the upcoming session. Today we look at the prospects for ethics reform, Barbara Buckley's image and Leslie's confrontation with a pundit/blogger over a bill she plans on introducing.

6) Ethics and money became a big issue, at least for a moment or two, in 2006 with a lot of talk of reform. In times past, though, it seems like all the talk ended once legislative sessions started. In Nevada, the current candidate contribution and expenditure (C&E) reporting consists of once at the beginning of a campaign year and then one week before the actual election (though, after early voting has started). Throw in the fact that there is no set format (some list contributions alphabetically, others chronologically), the listings aren't interactive (just a straight pdf file) and some candidates still prefer the handwritten method (a few of which would give doctors a run for the money in a "What the heck is that word?" contest), and the system would seem ripe for change. Is one on the way in 2007?

I think there will be significant ethics reform this session. Every time I have to fill out a campaign C&E report, I am frustrated by having to try and write in the required information in the tiny boxes! (It's impossible to type the information in the space provided -- that's why we write it in by hand). One year the Secretary of State provided an electronic reporting form and I took advantage of that. However, the software did not work well, the numbers did not calculate correctly, and it was not offered again. There needs to be significant change in order to provide the public with more timely information in a usable manner. We need to require LLCs to reveal their members, we need to outlaw cash contributions, and we need to work on better reporting forms.

7) Bundling of campaign contributions, where a donor can skirt the $10,000 individual limit by utilizing (or creating) different businesses or subsidiaries and cut a check for $10K each, has been criticized a lot this year. Do you think there will be legislation introduced to address this, or is the beauty of big donations (which tend to go to incumbents) too big a jewel to discard?

It has been very difficult to address this obvious loophole in the past but I imagine we will look at it again this session. My experience has been that unethical people always seem to find a way to skirt the law. Consumer groups and reporters have also been pretty good at figuring out who is violating the intent of the law and exposing the bundling of contributions. I personally believe that until we have a true public financing of campaigns, it will be very difficult to stop the unethical campaign contribution behavior we continue to see every election cycle.

8) Barbara Buckley is now the new Assembly Speaker and in virtually every article describing her (whether from Jon Ralston, Ray Hagar or bloggers on the left or right) there seems to be one constant. Buckley strikes fear in the heart of all. I am wondering where this perception came from? Was there a specific incident, a tipping point, that earned her the title of assembly Dragon Lady, or was it more of a culmination of events? Everyone seems to mention it as a well-known fact, but nobody ever says why. I've never met her and from her official assembly photo she looks like the kind of person who would bring fresh cookies to a meeting, not send someone running out in tears. Hopefully you are not one of the assembly members apparently shaking in their boots and can help shed some light on this for us.

Barbara Buckley is the public official I most admire and respect. She is extremely intelligent and strategic, committed to progressive values, and is determined and passionate about her issues. No one but Barbara could have succeeded in leading the battle to allow our citizens to purchase prescription drugs at a more affordable price from Canada. She doesn't give up and she works harder than anyone I know. As a caucus member, and one of her closest allies in terms of progressive policy initiatives, I can tell you she has a very inclusive, collaborative leadership style that is deeply appreciated. She doesn't lead through fear at all, but she's not adverse to using her power to pursue her agenda either. She's tough and determined and she doesn't get sidetracked by the 'good old boys' or the lobbyists who come calling. If those attributes scare her opponents, that's fine by me.

9) Bill Draft Requests (BDRs) are beginning to take shape for 2007. One of yours (BDR 105), in particular, has gotten some attention. Can you tell us a little about what you have planned for next year?

The wingnuts have had fun at my expense with a bill draft I have submitted to allow judges to consider protection of pets as part of a domestic violence protection order. I confronted one of them during the campaign after he blogged that I was to the left of Karl Marx because I wanted to make it a crime if someone didn't change the goldfish water. I told him in about 30 seconds what the bill was about and explained the links between animal abuse and child/spousal abuse and asked if he were ashamed to be misleading his readers. He just smiled and said his version was better copy. There's no way to correct ignorance or intellectual dishonesty with people like that.

Some of the other personal issues I will be working on this session are methamphetamine abuse, mental health, homelessness, mercury exposure, renewable energy, and access to health care. As the chair of an interim study on the rights of children placed in government care, I will be promoting more oversight and improvements in the child welfare and juvenile delinquency systems. I will be serving as the chair of the Assembly Health and Human Services Committee and the Vice-Chair of Ways and Means, as well as coordinating policy within our caucus as the Majority Whip.

10) What are you most proud of in your legislative career and, on the flip side, anything you regret?

Many people have told me how surprised they've been at how well I've done at the Legislature, given my progressive positions on social issues and my geographic location in Republican Washoe County. I think I've succeeded in promoting a fairly broad legislative agenda because I've lived and worked in my District for many years and listen to my constituents who have brought me many excellent ideas from reforming gaming work permits to honoring Veterans who left school to serve our country to repealing the business license requirement for small landlords.

Probably the three bills I've most proud of sponsoring are requiring hearing screenings for newborns, prohibiting the execution of mentally retarded persons, and creating the misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter law. Working directly with families whose children are deaf or hearing-impaired to do something proactive to help the children of the future was so inspiring - Nevada went from nearly last in the nation, screening only 17% of newborns, to screening 97% of newborns just a few years after my bill was passed. The work I've done to improve the mental health budget has also been extremely rewarding.

The only thing I sometimes regret is the vast amount of time necessary to get elected, and then actually serve. It's like having a second full time job, one that actually costs me about $30,000 a session since I lose my benefits and salary during my unpaid leave of four months. But regret is probably too strong a word. When people ask why I continue to volunteer for such a thankless job, I tell them I get thanked nearly every time I set foot out my door. That's the real payback for me. I don't need or want a school named after me, or a bust at the airport. But I appreciate the doctor who stopped me at Raley's this week to thank me for improving the mental health budget, or the teacher who approached me at the gym to tell me what full-day kindergarten has meant at her at-risk school. My motivation is to make a difference in the world and that's why I served in the Peace Corps, I work for the public sector, and I serve in the state Assembly. I am grateful and honored that District 27 has elected me five times and hope my constituents will continue to believe I represent them well.

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

Part one of our interview can be viewed here.

Is BattleBornNews.com A Goner?

UPDATE: BattleBornNews.com is up and running today (12/4).

Or did they just forget to renew their domain name?

It looks like conservative blog BattleBornNews.com has either disappeared, forgot to pay their hosting bill, or their domain name has been snatched up as it expired. The site itself is gone as of Sunday (12/3) night.

A quick look at who now owns the domain name shows it was registered to Sarina Schubert on December 2nd. The registrar is siteground.com, the company used in the original cobbgobbler.com controversy. Though no information on Ms. Schubert could be found, the telephone number listed matches that of sites registered by original Battle Born News owner Eric Odom.

10 Questions With Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie

While Washoe County's conservative leanings may have taken a hit this past election, someone who has been bucking the trend for the last eight years has been Sheila Leslie. An unabashed progressive, the AD-27 Democratic assemblywoman was unopposed by the GOP this year.

Considered one of the hardest-working members of Nevada's Assembly, Leslie has also been steadily climbing the leadership ladder. For the 2007 session, the Reno lawmaker was chosen as the Majority Whip for the Democratic caucus.

After a spirited election season that saw a plethora of attacks at all levels, the legislature must now prepare for its actual job. And, with a raft of issues at the ready, it could be a spirited session as well.

We caught up with the busy Leslie and talked about what to expect this session in the Assembly, the prospects of full-day kindergarten for all children and any future political plans.

1) You've just won your fifth term in the Assembly and been chosen as Majority Whip, so things are going well for you politically. What initially prompted you to take the plunge into politics and is there a possible run for higher office in your future?

I never imagined myself as a politician, since I am basically a shy introvert who would much rather stay at home and read something interesting than attend the endless series of cocktail parties/rubber chicken dinners that a political life requires. I decided to run in District 27 on New Years Day in 1998 when my former mother-in-law challenged my whining about the lack of Democrats willing to run. She told me to quit complaining if I wasn't willing to do it myself. I took her words to heart. The day after the election, I was stunned to realize I'd won. The past eight years have been full of hard work (and endless social obligations I still dread) but the rewards of influencing public policy to further social justice have kept me committed to serving in this capacity. I'm definitely not full of ambition to serve in higher office, although I may consider a state Senate race when term limits force me and Senator Mathews out of office four years from now.

2) Since the 2006 election was especially contentious, at least at the top of the ticket, most pundits expect some of that tension to spill over into the '07 session. With a stronger Democratic Assembly majority and an extra seat in the Senate, coupled with a new Republican governor more conservative than the last (not to mention coming in with a series of scandals nipping at his heels), doesn't that seem like a recipe for possible disaster?

I'm actually looking forward to this session and don't expect a disaster, although there are certainly questions about how the new Governor and his staff will interact with the Legislature and what exactly his agenda will be. The Assembly and the Senate have very experienced leadership; we know what to expect and we fully understand how we need to work together to be effective. The Assembly Democrats are very united and we have an agenda of strong policy initiatives in education, human services, renewable energy, ethics in government, and health care. Our caucus is experienced and strong. We will work with the Senate and the Governor to do what's best for the State but we are not afraid to confront and block them when they are wrong. There's always tension and "inside baseball" maneuvering, but I don't think it will be any worse than other years.

3) What can Nevada expect from Assembly Democrats in 2007? And do you think the GOP minority will cooperate most of the time?

The Assembly Democrats have been working on our agenda for the past 18 months. You will see strong initiatives in education (full-day kindergarten, increases in teacher pay and performance, high school reform, and accountability measures), in health care (prescription drugs, hospital quality and costs, access to health care, standards for collecting medical debts), in renewable energy (increasing the net metering cap, expansion of weatherization incentives, energy efficiency rebate programs for consumers), in services for children and seniors, in ethics reform, public safety, affordable housing, and consumer protections.

I expect the GOP minority to work with us on many of these initiatives because they will understand their worth and to oppose the ideas they believe to be detrimental to our State. The Nevada Assembly is not Congress. We are closer to the people and we understand gridlock is not an option. I imagine we will agree far more often than we disagree, and when we disagree, we will do so with respect.

4) All-day kindergarten has been thrust into the spotlight once more with outgoing GOP governor Kenny Guinn putting it in his suggested budget for next year. It's generally expected that new governor Jim Gibbons will not include it in his budget. Is this something the Assembly is prepared to go to the mat over, or does a compromise along the lines of test schools more in order?

I don't think it's a given that Gov. Gibbons will not include full-day kindergarten in his budget. He may offer a more phased-in approach, but I think once he looks closely at the well-documented benefits of full-day kindergarten, he will join us in our effort to make sure every young child in Nevada has the opportunity to learn. We will see what he proposes in his State-of-the-State Address in January and go from there.

5) Continuing with all-day kindergarten, what is the estimated cost of implementation? If the current situation is like when I was in kindergarten (an early class and a later one, both sharing a room and teacher), wouldn't that entail an almost doubling of faculty and buildings? Plus, what have studies shown as far as the effect of full-day schooling for kindergartners? I know when I mentioned it to my mother her reaction was one of "that's too long for the kids." Is that just an "old school" view, or do some studies show she may have a point?

You've seen many estimates of the cost of implementation of full-day kindergarten in the press that vary widely, from $10 million to $60 million. It depends on what fiscal year you're talking about, and how many schools you intend to phase in at one time. The facilities cost and the hiring of additional teachers are definitely challenges we will face.

Although we've seen some fringe studies that appear to repudiate the value of full-day kindergarten, the vast majority of scientific studies are overwhelmingly positive. There are a number of states that have had full-day kindergarten for some years now and their test scores and student performance have increased dramatically. Common sense also tells you that children who have a full-day kindergarten program will enter first grade in a much better position to succeed. As a working parent, I can tell you kindergarten was the most difficult year of my daughter's school career - it was not easy to coordinate transportation and day care around the 2 1/2 hours of kindergarten within the work day. It's an extremely popular idea among parents - I can't go to the grocery store in my District without someone stopping me to ask how soon full-day kindergarten will become a reality in all our schools.

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Part two of our interview will continue tomorrow, where we'll discuss campaign financing and what Leslie is most proud of. We'll also try and find out if people really do fear Barbara Buckley.