BARBWIRE by ANDREW BARBANO Pirate Laureate of the High Desert Outback of the American Dream

Barbwire Archives

Such is the case with northern Nevada's Public Broadcasting System affiliate, KNPB TV-5. I've been protesting (and on one occasion, reversing) Channel 5 censorship since 1997.

I've criticized current GM Kurt Mische for not airing Bill Moyers in this market and for being the only station outside Mississippi to black out the Hillary Clinton-Bernie Sanders debate. (Barbwire 3-1-2016)

UPDATE 5-24-2016: From the Public Broadcasting System ombudsman: "According to researchers here: The GM, Ronnie Agnew, clarified that Mississippi Public Broadcasting carried the debate."

AB: That means only KNPB blacked it out. Nevada is number one in something seedy once again. We should be so proud.

Karmic chickens came home to roost last week. On the 11:00 p.m. May 11 Charlie Rose show, John Heilemann of Bloomberg Politics described how Donald Trump's campaign "fxxxed-up." He later noted some of the "sxxt" they caused.

The closed-captioning computer censored his comments exactly as you just read. However, whomever or whatever was in charge of bleeping the great George Carlin's notorious Seven Words You Can't Say on Television — well, somebody "fxxxed up."

Zounds.

The dirty words got heard — guts, feathers and all.

There was a time (c. 1988-92) when the feisty Daily Sparks Tribune would not censor. Randy Frisch and Christopher Smith ran it raw, no-holds-barred, no-shirt-no-shoes-no-problem. People lined up at newsracks all over the region to buy what us crazy bastards were writing.

In the waning days of the deregulatory Reagan administration, the Federal Communications Commission even began allowing Carlin's Magnificent Seven.

Uptight America soon came full circle. At the 2004 Super Bowl halftime, singer Janet Jackson's nano-second of nipple cost CBS a cosmetic $500,000 fine.

I've done several Internet searches, including TV-5's website, for any mention or apology to delicate and sensitive viewers. Nada.

Rose's show usually re-runs at 4:00 p.m. the following day. Not this time. TV-5 once again censored itself.

On what would have been George Carlin's 79th birthday.

BARBWIRE TO TRIBUNE EDITOR: Please feel free to modify this text by correcting all above exes.

NAKED FOLLYTIX. Political campaigns put their strategy on the street every day.

Recent actions by the gambling-industrial complex indicate that Republican Lisa Krasner is apparently whipping fellow GOP lawyer Jason Guinasso in southwest Reno/Incline Village Assembly District 26.

The bailywick was polled two weeks ago and apparently juice lobbyist Peter Ernaut panicked. The man who created Brian Sandoval had his governor endorse Guinasso. The Reno Gazette-Journal printed the press release on May 10 without including any comment from Mrs. Krasner.

The next day, columnist Jon Ralston echoed with a thousand-word hatchet job which probably brought Ernaut to the edge of ecstasy. Again, Mrs. Krasner was not interviewed. In last Sunday's RGJ, yesteryear candidate Orrin Johnson turned the hat trick.

It's an instant replay of 2014 when Ernaut pulled out all stops to save incumbent Randy Kirner who beat Krasner by only 11 votes.

Guinasso was just endorsed by the Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce after promising he would continue Kirner's quest to dismantle the Public Employees Retirement System.

HALL OF FAME former Nevada Assemblymember Bob Price, D-North Las Vegas, remains bedridden. He's been moved to ManorCare, 2350 Wingfield Hills Rd., Sparks 89436. Send well-wishes and flowers to the longtime Sparks resident. Nancy Price encourages visits to cheer up the legendary warrior.

Bob Price served almost three decades in the lower house. Bob and Nancy retired to Sparks years ago. He has been a member of Las Vegas IBEW Local 357/AFL-CIO for more than half a century. He helped build the showroom at the Las Vegas Hilton which was opened by Elvis Presley in 1969. Bob has the King's autograph on his old lunchbox to prove it. He chaired the Assembly Taxation Committee for many sessions and became legendary for his advocacy on behalf of the little guys.

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)

The Underbelly of the News—>Subscribe to Barbwire Confidential

BARBWIRE WEB EXTRAS —> TOMORROW'S NEWS TODAY: FEEL UP YOUR FIRE METER. The Reno Gazette-Journal did big spreads on threeconsecutive Sundays (Sept. 14, Sept. 21 and Sept. 28, 2014) on NV Energy smart meter fires. Welcome aboard. Barbwire readers were two years ahead on the fire meter issue. (Touch a Smart Meter, Go to Jail — 11 October 2012)

FIRE METER UPDATES: THE NEVADA FIRE MARSHALL'S INVESTIGATION concluded "don't worry, be happy." I'm still worried and will continue fondling NVE's precious equipment —> If your smart meter feels very hot, not just from sunshine, call 911.

In its Sunday 21 Dec. 2014 front page headline major story, the Reno Gazette-Journal published results of the NVEnergy-commissioned "don't worry, be happy" echo study. On 1-27-2015, the RGJ published an analysis based on veteran reporter Anjeanette Damon's review of more than 1,000 pages of documents. Barbwire bottom line: NVE handles this like auto manufacturers handle defects —> It's cheaper to pay legal settlements after people are injured or killed than to fixthe problem.

Don'tcha worry 'bout a thing! If you can't trust your power company, whom can you trust?

Smoking guns: Rooftop solar assassination — NevadaLabor.com Energy War Room

DIDN'T THEY MAKE A MOVIE CALLED "THE INCREDIBLES"? On 2-6-2015, the RGJ reported that the Public Utilities Commission has ordered NVE to hire an independent laboratory to review the material.

UPDATE: The report said all is well. I still recommend feeling up your fire meter on a regular basis.

ANTE INTO THE GAME: Support the new season of Barbwire.TV by putting your money where my mouth is. A thousand thanks to those who keep sending show suggestions.

  Stay tuned.

  I encourage you to donate to the cause at Barbwire.TV/ The medium that shapes public opinion needs at least one refuge where it is not filtered through the distorted green eye shades of prissy corporate accountants for whom profit is the only priority; where self-censorship is the journalist's normal work environment and where all sins of omission are tacitly encouraged and forgiven with the wave of a balance sheet. This is important. We've got a lot of work to do.

Get ahead of corporate-influenced news—>Subscribe to Barbwire Confidential.

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)

Andrew Barbano is a 47-year Nevadan, chair of the Nevada César Chávez Committee, producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration, first vice-president and political action chair of the Reno-Sparks NAACP, labor/consumer/civil rights advocate, member of Communications Workers of America Local 9413/AFL-CIO and editor of NevadaLabor.com and JoeNeal.org and DoctorLawyerWatch.com/ As always, his opinions are strictly his own. Check local listings for other Nevada cable systems. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us. Barbwire by Barbano has originated in the Sparks Tribune since 1988.

Peruse the Underbelly of the News —> Subscribe to Barbwire Confidential

SITE NAVIGATION TIPS: When all else fails, read the instructions

NevadaLabor.com | U-News | Bulletins + Almanac Casinos Out of Politics (COP) | Sen. Joe Neal Guinn Watch | Deciding Factors | BallotBoxing.US DoctorLawyerWatch.com | Barbwire Oilogopoly Archive Barbwire Nevada Corporate Welfare Archive Annual César Chávez Celebration War Rooms: Banks, Cabbies, Cabela's/cabellyup, Cable TV, Cancer Kids/Mining, Energy, Food, Health Care, Resurge.TV/consumers, Starbucks, Wal-Mart We Don't Need No Education Search this site | In Search Of...

Barbwire Archives

Copyright © 1982-2016 Andrew Barbano

Andrew Barbano is a 47-year Nevadan, editor of NevadaLabor.com and JoeNeal.org; and former chair of the City of Reno's Citizens Cable Compliance Committee. He is producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration and serves as first vice-president, political action chair and webmaster of the Reno-Sparks NAACP. As always, his opinions are strictly his own. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us.

Barbwire by Barbano moved to Nevada's Daily Sparks Tribune on Aug. 12, 1988, and has originated in them parts ever since.
Whom to blame: How a hall-of-famer's hunch birthed the Barbwire in August of 1987
Tempus fugit.

Site composed and maintained by Deciding Factors, CWA 9413 signatory

Comments and suggestions appreciated. Sign up for news and bulletins