"Reality" v. Reality

In recent years, Netflix has changed the TV entertainment game. It now produces its own content. And lets us stream TV shows onto a plethora of internet connected devices.

But now, a new content provider is aiming directly at Netflix. And its opening shot just happens to be Colion Noir. No really, "Noir" will be a talk show aimed at "urban gun enthusiasts". And it's just one of the shows on new NRA Freestyle online TV network.

Do NRA chieftains actually think some online TV network will expunge their organization of its own bloody record? Do they truly believe Colion Noir can make us forget all about Cliven Bundy? And do they really expect this latest PR campaign to sanitize the reality of gun violence that they're always trying to hide from public view?







Unfortunately for the NRA, far too many Americans know better. They've seen for themselves the brutal reality of gun violence. And they're joining with Everytown to do something about it.

Everytown may not have its own online TV network full of slick programming, but it does have committed volunteers. Yes, it even has volunteers here in Nevada. And last Saturday, they met at Pebble Park to kick off their campaign to elect pro #GunSense candidates to office and pass legislation that over 80% of Nevadans support.

The NRA may refer to these citizens as "props", but that's only because these citizens aren't afraid to stand up and fight back. And now that they're indeed standing up and fighting back, the NRA & its "TEA" powered allies are trying whatever they can think of to deflect from the real issues at hand.









Apparently, that includes an online TV network complete with a talk show aimed at "urban gun enthusiasts". Yet while the NRA is now venturing into the "reality TV" business, far too many American families have had to witness the actual reality of gun violence. And they're not about to let some "wannabe Netflix" distract them from the real issues at hand.

Benghazipalooza

Well, surprise, f**king surprise. We've known for some time that Congressional Republicans were preparing for the rave of a lifetime on Capitol Hill. Las Vegas may now have Electric Daisy Carnival, but DC Republicans plan to rival that with their own Benghazipalooza.

At Benghazipalooza, all bets will be off. And G-O-TEA politicians will definitely be all in for all the political debauchery. Hell, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Grand Marnier) has even given the green light for the ultimate #Benghazi fundraising extravaganza!

And he's wondering why virtually no one outside the G-O-TEA base is taking his (latest) "Benghazi investigation" seriously?

We're sure Rep. Joe Heck (R-Benghazi) is really craving a ticket to Benghazipalooza. He's been getting into that groove for some time. Perhaps Rep. Mark Amodei (R-??!!) also wants a ticket to the ultimate scandalicious celebration, since he's always aiming to be Mr. #TeaParty Cool.

Never mind that many Nevada workers stand to benefit from a raise in the minimum wage. Never mind that our economy also stands to benefit from an extension of federal unemployment insurance (UI). And never mind that our economy can also benefit from pro-worker policies like comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) and nationwide ENDA.

Nope, House Republicans care more about getting their party on at Benghazipalooza. They may even go directly from Benghazipalooza to their next big rave: Impeachapalooza. We guess it's nice that they can enjoy the luxury of dereliction of duty taking extra time off work to have quality play time at their hot Capitol Hill rave. It's just too bad that all of us who live in the real world can't.

Time to Speak Up

Last month, we gave you a heads up on Mississippi's SB 2681. The Legislature passed it. And Governor Phil Bryant (R) quickly signed it into law.

So now, Mississippi has declared "License to Discriminate" to be state law. And believe it or not, two Nevada based companies are now in the thick of it.

How so? MGM & Caesars both operate casinos in Mississippi. And while the two gaming goliaths have put their money where their mouths are here in Nevada, they've yet to make a statement on Mississippi's new "License to Discriminate" statute.

They'll need to speak up soon. The damage is already being done there. And it's still spreading elsewhere. Kentucky now has "License to Discriminate" on its books. And G-O-TEA Culture Warriors are now pushing in Congress for a federal "License to Discriminate".

We know Cresent Hardy has an affinity for "segregation laws", but does Rep. Joe Heck (R-??!!) share that affinity? Will House Speaker John Boehner (R-??!!) actually allow a floor vote on this while continuing to block ENDA?

Clearly, the struggle over "License to Discriminate" continues. Even though it was stopped in Arizona, the G-O-TEA Culture Warriors have simply moved their fight elsewhere. They've succeeded in Mississippi. They may now try to pass a federal bill through Congress. And more state bills may not be out of the question.

The time to speak up is now. Now is a good time for those who claim to be pro-equality to put their money where their mouths are. After all, we know money talks in out system... Often more so than anything else. Just look at Arizona.

Who's the "Good Guy With a Gun"?

No one can say we didn't sound the alarms. When Sharron Angle first mentioned "Second Amendment Remedies", our ears perked. And not for any good reason. We could read between the lines.



And frankly, it wasn't that hard to do so. She tried walking her comments back, but only out of political damage control. She never acknowledged the danger lurking within those words.

In recent days, we've seen "Second Amendment Remedies" return to center stage. Most notably, we've witnessed Cliven Bundy and his gang of "outlaw cowboys" declare a "Range War" against the federal government for daring to enforce the law.

Last month, we were introduced to Richard Mack, the ex-Sheriff from Arizona who's best known for his ties to the xenophobic and incredibly anti-government "Patriot Movement". When Mack took a leadership position at #BundyRanch, we knew this was going to turn violent... And racist.

Now, we're finding out about another key player at #BundyRanch. His name is Brad Rogers. He's the current Sheriff of Elkhart County, Indiana. And he actually took time off his actual job last month to fly into #BundyRanch and sing the praises of Posse Comitatus.



Before wading into #BundyRanch, Rogers was (in)famous for being schooled on actual Constitutional law on national TV. Perhaps that's why he made the pilgrimage to Bunkerville? He just needed a "meeting of the minds" with famed "Constitutional law expert" Cliven Bundy?

Whatever the case, we find it quite ironic that someone who's charged with enforcing the law has been endorsing outright violation of the law instead. And he flew into town all the way from Elkhart County, Indiana, to do so.

And that's not all. Already, the "Patriot Movement" is using #BundyRanch as a springboard for "Operation American Spring". And what might that be? It's basically an attempt to force President Obama and all Congressional leaders out of office.

Fortunately, this "Operation American Spring" doesn't seem to be attracting much support outside the fringe of the fringe. And there's increasing evidence suggesting the Bundy Gang's "Range War" may finally be nearing its last legs (literally). Still, it's frightening to think that we've come so close to seeing "civil war" erupt right here in Nevada. And it's downright irritating to see how G-O-TEA lawless behavior.

Oh, and we've yet to hear anyone at NRA explain who the "good guy with a gun" is at #BundyRanch. We still eagerly await that.

"Rebranding"... A Hashtag?

As we noted yesterday, House Republicans are now too busy investigating a hashtag to accomplish anything that can actually help Americans. Yet while they're once again obsessing over ridiculous #Benghazi conspiracy theories, they're leaving real legislation to die grisly deaths in committee back rooms.

Case in point: ENDA. It easily passed the Senate last November. It's quite popular. And it's absolutely necessary to combat anti-LGBTQ discrimination and ensure that everyone who wants a chance to work can work.

Yet it's now languishing in some back room of the House side of the US Capitol. But why? Oh, Rush Limbaugh doesn't want "teh gay cootiez". Mike Huckabee wants us to be on "the right side of the Bible". And Cresent Hardy wants us to take his advice on "segregation laws".

A number of prominent Republicans want us to believe in "Republican rebranding". How are we supposed to believe it when hardly anything has really changed? House Republicans still refuse to give ENDA a floor vote. Instead, they're feigning concern over phantom "frivolous law suits".

And of course, they're pursuing their own sort of "frivolous suits"... Like #Benghazi. Because wasting their time and our money on already debunked #Benghazi conspiracy theories is more important than ensuring that Americans who want & need to work can work.

G-O-TEA politicians can spew out as many hashtags as they want. That won't change the fact that "Republican rebranding" has failed to bring that party into the 21st century. And really, no amount of cosmetic "rebranding" can supplant the need for real, substantive policy.

Sandbox

Last month, we examined how national "TEA" flavored astroturf outfits were jumping into the #BundyRanch fiasco. In particular, Koch funded AFP rather quickly jumped in with inflammatory tweets and effusive praise for Cliven Bundy. AFP didn't let up in its #BundyRanch campaign...

Until it suddenly became politically inconvenient. Yet even when Cliven Bundy made interesting comments on "race relations" and Senator Dean Heller (R) started walking back his endorsement of the #BundyRanch "Range War", AFP never actually rebuked the Bundy Gang. It just scrubbed its web site and pretended that #BundyRanch was never its "Range War".



As we've been documenting here lately, Cliven Bundy and his gang of "outlaw cowboys" have been wreaking havoc upon the Virgin Valley. And yes, even after G-O-TEA politicians and media pundits dropped #BundyRanch as their outrage du jour, they continued to cause problems for Mesquite and Bunkerville residents. This is why Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) and other local leaders have been calling for an end to the armed madness.

But again, all we're hearing from AFP is radio silence. After all its rabble rousing over #BundyRanch last month, it has nothing to say now? Is that because it's now too busy hating on the Columbus Zoo? Or is that because the Kochs have been too busy trying to buy more North Carolina judges?



The Kochs jumped into #BundyRanch when it was politically convenient. But when Cliven Bundy and his gang of "outlaw cowboys" suddenly put the Koch-topus into political trouble, they left the "Range War"... Yet they also left the militia gangs behind to fight each other and cause mayhem in the Virgin Valley. They were more than happy to turn this corner of Southern Nevada into their own personal political sandbox, then they just left that sandbox for us to clean up when their "playmates" became too hot to handle.

The Kochs spent $412 million during the 2012 election cycle. And as a result, we're now dealing with the worst Congress (their) money can buy.

They're at it again. They're already on another political spending spree. And this time, they're even setting their sights on local issues throughout the nation.

What will be the result of all this Koch flavored meddling? What happens when we let our public sphere become a sandbox for a few incredibly wealthy individuals who will leave no stone unturned to further their ideological goals? Are we about to see more political sandboxes turning out of control?

Full Circle

We're approaching that time again. A number of important bills are sitting somewhere in the dark corners of various House Committees. Yet instead of actually working on those or other meaningful bills, House Republican "leaders" are instead...

Wait for it...



Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi!

Oh, yes. That's right. They're going there... Yet again.

In September 2012, an American consulate in Libya was attacked. Four people lost their lives. Numerous investigations have already been made since then, along with recommendations on how to improve embassy security. Yet despite their blustering accusations and numerous investigations, Congressional Republicans have never found any truth to their accusations.

In late 2012, Mitt Romney reduced it to a cheap political attack. And in 2014, House Republicans want to reduce it even further, down to a mere farcical hashtag. It's become quite clear what many Republican politicians on Capitol Hill plan to do with #Benghazi.

However, there is an interesting twist to this story. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) selected Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-South Carolina) (sorry, Joe Heck) to lead his #Benghazi fishing expedition witch hunt media circus "Select Committee". And while Speaker Boehner probably didn't intend to do this, he actually gave us a chance to talk about the real scandal on Capitol Hill with his choice for this committee investigating a sad tragedy that he's politicized into a haute faux scandal.

So why are we talking about some House Member from South Carolina? Before Rep. Gowdy became famous for this #Benghazi committee, he was best known for his successful "TEA" fueled primary challenge to then Rep. Bob Inglis. He and his "TEA" powered allies hit Inglis on several issues, but they probably hit hardest on Inglis' support for some sort of action on climate change.

So now, we're coming around full circle... Or at least Trey Gowdy is. He attacked Bob Inglis for daring to admit that we must do something about climate change. And now, he's attacking President Obama and Hillary Clinton in hopes of damaging them politically... And distracting us from real problems such as climate change.



The National Climate Assessment was released by The White House earlier today. It details the dangers we face if we don't take further action. And it points out how Nevada and the rest of the nation are already feeling the effects of climate change now.

So we've come around full circle. G-O-TEA media spinners are attacking President Obama for taking action on climate change instead of succumbing to their latest partisan witch hunt. And they're jumping into a full circle jerk over Trey Gowdy's new "Shade-ful Committee". And they're excited about a committee devoted to waste taxpayer dollars on a partisan witch hunt. Oh, and the guy who's in charge of this committee won a seat in Congress in the first place because he bashed an incumbent Republican for daring to admit the truth about climate change.

So just what was Speaker Boehner thinking when he named Trey Gowdy to chair this committee?

Disorderly Conduct

This has been festering for nearly a month. They intimidated federal public servants who were just trying to do their job. They're still violating multiple court orders. And now, they're driving business away from the Virgin Valley as they make violent threats against numerous people (including each other).

Cliven Bundy and his gang of "outlaw cowboys" have brought armed madness upon Mesquite and Bunkerville. And local residents there want out. And they want the outlaw militia gangs out of their communities.

Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) has been calling for action to end the militia gangs' occupation of the Virgin Valley. And he's not alone. Yesterday, State Assembly Member David Bobzien (D-Reno) explained to MSNBC's Joy Reid how #BundyRanch is starting to hurt Nevada's public image.



Mesquite area businesses have already lost over $100,000 worth of activity since #BundyRanch initially blew up. Ever since the Bundy Gang started setting up checkpoints, people have been calling Metro Police to find out if it's safe to drive the 15 Freeway through Bunkerville. And ever since Bundy supporters started threatening violence at hotels suspected of housing BLM agents, people have been canceling trips to Mesquite.

While the Kochs have dropped their pro-Bundy astroturf campaign and Senator Dean Heller (R) is now quietly running away from the very "patriots" he had been praising last month. Yet while they don't see #BundyRanch as a political asset any more, they haven't said a peep about the many nuisances the Bundy Gang continue to cause in the Virgin Valley.



Cliven Bundy may claim to be a "Constitutional expert", but he forgets that the US Constitution forms the basis of the federal government he claims shouldn't exist. He's fighting a "Range War" because he refuses to play by the same rules as everyone else. He's fighting a "Range War" that's tearing the Virgin Valley apart.

This is not how civil society functions. This is not what we expect here in the United States of America. We expect some sort of order. After all, we are a nation of laws.

And now, Southern Nevada is feeling the consequences of the Bundy Gang's disorderly conduct. How much more of this must Bunkerville & Mesquite endure before this increasingly harmful disorderly conduct is finally put to an end?

From Las Vegas Blvd... To Eastern Ave.

She considers herself to be a "daughter of Eastern Avenue". She grew up off Eastern Avenue. Her campaign office is now on Eastern Avenue. And she vows to represent "Eastern Avenue values" should she be elected into Congress.

Erin Bilbray is now running in the 3rd Congressional District, which spans from Laughlin to Summerlin. And the Eastern Avenue corridor is probably the beating heart of this district. But last weekend, Erin Bilbray ventured to another iconic Southern Nevada street, Las Vegas Boulevard, to address the Clark County Democratic Party Convention.



On Saturday, Bilbray explained her "Eastern Avenue values". And she drew a stark contrast between her values and her opponent's.



Bilbray described the current state of Congress. She hinted at her opponent's contribution to that current state of Congress. And she talked about what she wants to do in Congress and how she wants to change the climate of Capitol Hill should she arrive there next year.



Make no mistake. Another hot campaign season is simmering in NV-03. Expect to see plenty of signs along Eastern Avenue, as well as all the other major thoroughfares of NV-03.

Erin Bilbray has been touting "Eastern Avenue values". It's not just about that street. It's about the communities along that street. It's about the people who commute to & from work along that street. And it's about the reality of the 3rd Congressional District that's seen up and down Eastern Avenue.

And ultimately, this campaign may be won or lost on Eastern Avenue.

(Not the) End of the Road

Late in 2010, it looked like she was approaching the end of the road. She had lost a hard fought reelection race. Between that and narrowly losing the statewide gubernatorial election of 2006, plenty of political pundits were declaring the death of Dina Titus' political career.

Obviously, they spoke too soon. The following year, redistricting changed the game. And Dina Titus was ready for a comeback.



She did face a rather interesting race in 2012... But she ultimately won. And not only did she win, but she dominated. And she definitely made her way back to Congress.

And since returning to Congress, Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) has been working quite hard on a number of critical issues. And she hasn't forgotten why she's there in the first place.

Last Saturday, Rep. Dina Titus came to the Clark County Democratic Party Convention and addressed the crowd. Some of them were her former constituents, while others are her current constituents. Regardless, she wanted to fire them all up and get them ready for the 2014 cycle.



While Rep. Titus herself doesn't have to worry about her reelection race this year, she does seem to want to return to a Congress that's actually functioning. And that means her work is not yet finished. It's far from the end of the road for her, or for her fellow Nevada Democrats.

Shame on You

It's 2014. And this is still happening? We're still witnessing epic "slut shaming" in the public square. And to make this even worse, Metro Police are now engaging in it!

Is this why Metro has been "too busy" to clean up the Cliven Bundy armed fiasco it's let fester in the Virgin Valley? Has Metro just been "too busy" slut shaming young women instead?

Girls who are not sexually abstinent, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer Regina Coward reportedly said, typically wind up victims of sexual assault. Or they become members of a gang. Or they take drugs. Or they become prostitutes. [...]

The event’s program mingled its pro-abstinence message with video about women in dire circumstances. One video included interviews with a pimp and prostitutes and emphasized that women who sell sex for money are often forced into a kind of modern-day slavery. Another showed gruesome images of people who used hard drugs, including a woman who lost limbs in a meth lab explosion.

A survey published in 2006 found that 95 percent of Americans have had premarital sex. Most of these people are not prostitutes. Most of them also have never been injured in a drug-related accident.

What. The. F**k?! So Metro is actually wasting our tax dollars on "educating" our youth on unscientific propaganda. And keep in mind that this isn't just any propaganda. It's the same propaganda being pushed by the likes of Focus on the Family and other G-O-TEA/religious right outfits that are out to criminalize anything & everything other than marital, hetero-normative, "missionary position" sex.

This propaganda has no basis in science. It degrades women. And it does absolutely nothing to secure our communities. So why on earth is Metro now engaging in slut shaming?

[... I]t's not as if "slut-shaming" works in reducing teen pregancies and/or preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. If anything, the opposite may actually be true. Threatening young women won't stop the above from happening. Knowledge, on the other hand, will. After all, knowledge is power.

So we should know better. And the powers that be at the "newspaper" should have known better. What a shame.

And Metro should have known better. Are Metro chiefs still wondering why the Clark County Commission turned down the "More Cops Tax"? Here's a helpful hint: This is why!

We've seen armed madness take hold in the Virgin Valley. We've yet to hear straight answers from Metro on the many "officer involved shootings" of unarmed civilians. Public trust in our allegedly trustworthy law enforcement keeps dropping to new lows. And now, Metro wants to worsen its "image problem" by slut shaming our young women?

Shame on you, Metro.

Public Service

Let's just say his district has been through a lot lately. Nevada's 4th Congressional District has only existed since 2012, yet it's now becoming famous across the nation. But sadly, that fame is at least partially due to Cliven Bundy and his merry gang of "outlaw cowboys".

Last week, the Bundy Gang again made news when they descended into total armed madness. Think "Lord of the Flies: Nevada Edition". They threatened each other. And they've been wreaking havoc throughout the Virgin Valley.

Law abiding residents there have had enough of the armed madness. And so has their Member of Congress, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas). He addressed the Clark County Democratic Party Convention on Saturday... And didn't hold back when he mentioned the #BundyRanch fiasco that's still plaguing his constituents.







And he didn't stop there. Rep. Steven Horsford has been working on a number of critical issues since arriving in Washington 16 months ago. And he hasn't let anything stopped his work, not even #BundyRanch.

On Saturday, Rep. Horsford also talked about what he wants to accomplish in Congress. And yes, this means he wants Congress to start accomplishing good, meaningful things again.



Rep. Horsford hasn't forgotten why he was elected to Congress in the first place. It's about public service. It's about serving the people. It's about serving the community.



Nevada's 4th Congressional District has only existed since 2012. And Steven Horsford has only been in Congress since 2013. But already, he's making his mark on Capitol Hill. And he wants his constituents to know he hasn't forgotten why they sent him to Congress in the first place.

It's about public service. And even during these trying times for Nevada's 4th Congressional District, Rep. Horsford refuses to let up on doing his job.

Real Life Nightmare

Yep, we had spoken too soon. Cliven Bundy and his merry gang of "outlaw cowboys" have found their way back onto national media. They're still brazenly violating all sorts of laws. And now, they're threatening local residents of Bunkerville & Mesquite.

Once again, Rep. Steven Horsford is asking law enforcement to listen to his law abiding constituents in the Virgin Valley and kick out the law violating militia groups. He even went on national TV again last night to plead his constituents' case.



Even though Sean Hannity has moved on to praise a convicted murderer (??!!) and other national G-O-TEA media personalities have found something else to harp about, Mesquite & Bunkerville residents are still being annoyed & harassed by the imported #BundyRanch militia. And the Bundy Gang still refuse to let up. Instead, they're now threatening local media that are not reporting #BundyRanch stories to their liking!

Oh, and the Bundy Gang now want to stage protests at Metro Police's Downtown Las Vegas headquarters because they still want Metro to arrest BLM agents... For trying to enforce the law! Seriously, we can't make this stuff up.

Sometimes we're tempted to simply point & laugh at the insani-TEA run amok at #BundyRanch. But sadly, this insani-TEA is not some harmless political #FAIL. Yes, the politics of this has boomeranged to the point of backfiring on the very local & national G-O-TEA politicians who were hoping to play this "SCANDAL!!!" to their political advantage. However, this is no longer simply a harmless political circus.

This hot mess has come to adversely affect the day-to-day life of the Virgin Valley. People are canceling their trips to Mesquite. They're worried about their kids going to school in Bunkerville. They're even calling Metro just to make sure the 15 Freeway is safe to drive on.

This has gone way out of hand. #BundyRanch may be the NRA's wet dream come true, but it's a real life nightmare for us here in Southern Nevada. And we just want this real life nightmare to come to an end already.

Armed Madness

Oops. Did we speak too soon? Have Cliven Bundy & his merry gang of "outlaw cowboys" just figured out a way to extend their 15 minutes of infamy?

Just when we thought the national media were done with them, Bundy's outrageously extreme militia "support crew" decided to make even more outrageous statements. And this time, they're gunning for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D).

No really, they're threatening Senator Reid again. And this time, they're specifically targeting his private parts.



But wait, there's more! Remember the Oath Keepers? Sharron Angle is a member. And the Southern Poverty Law Center has quite the thick dossier on the Oath Keepers and their extreme xenophobic anti-Constitutional pro-anarchy conspiracy theory charged agenda.

And apparently, the Oath Keepers were the "reasonable" ones at #BundyRanch. They were kicked out of the "Range War" last week by the other wannabe insurrectionists. And 2 Oath Keepers were physically assaulted by the other #BundyRanch militia. And the other militia were threatening a major gun fight.



Oh yes, and the Oath Keepers actually believed US Attorney General Eric Holder had authorized a drone strike on #BundyRanch. We can't make this sh*t up. And Jon Ralston has something to say to a certain US Senator about all this.

"To recap: These people who @SenDeanHeller calls "patriots" claimed the AG authorized a drone strike on Bundyville. #America #FOXy #loonville"

And frankly, the same applies to Cresent Hardy, Michele Fiore, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and all the other G-O-TEA politicians who oh so quickly hopped on the Bundy bandwagon (before he became a political liability). And the same applies to the NRA, the #1 gun industry cheerleader that never hesitates to encourage the kind of armed madness we're now seeing at #BundyRanch. So who's the "good guy with a gun" stopping the "bad guy with a gun" here?

Right now, we just see a bunch of bad guys with guns. And we see a whole lot of Mesquite & Bunkerville residents who are sick & tired of the armed madness. What were all these G-O-TEA politicians and gun lobby interest groups thinking when they endorsed this armed madness?

Take Notice

Last week, he went down in flames. As soon as he made some incredibly racist comments (and those comments hit the national media), Cliven Bundy suddenly went from "TEA Party Folk Hero" to "G-O-TEA Persona Non Grata". And now, he can't get on any Fox "News" show... Or even CNN.

Yet even as the national media have mostly dropped this story, Virgin Valley residents are still living the #BundyRanch nightmare. National media may have abandoned Bunkerville, but the extreme right militia groups who came to fight an epic "Range War" are still there. And they're still packing a whole lot of heat.

Oh, and a number of them are actually still a large part of the story that's still making headlines nationally.



This is what we were discussing earlier this week. It's not just Cliven Bundy. Much larger G-O-TEA players are engaging in race baiting. And it's time we all take notice.

Last month, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) shocked the nation with his statements on "inner cities". Yet since then, Rep. Ryan has refused to apologize for repeatedly accusing African-Americans of being "lazy". Instead, Rep. Ryan has actually been endorsing the pseudoscience of a known white supremacist.

Yesterday, the Congressional Black Caucus held a meeting with Rep. Paul Ryan to discuss both his "inner cities" comments and the ideology behind them. And shortly after that meeting, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) took to MSNBC to talk about what had just occurred.



And Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) had this to say about the Black Caucus' meeting with Rep. Ryan.

“Poverty is not just a black or white, urban or rural, problem; it’s an American problem, and we must discuss it in that way,” Horsford said. “Today’s meeting was a productive conversation with Budget Chairman Ryan in which he explained his priorities, while our members expressed to him our concerns with his budget. Chairman Ryan in particular was open to discussing the possibility of Rep. James Clyburn’s 10-20-30 plan, saying he supports policies that help lift people out of poverty.” [...]

Horsford observed during the meeting that policies must be proposed to prevent generational poverty; to address income inequality; and to safeguard critical programs like Head Start, Pell Grants, and SNAP.

“17.1% of my constituents live below the poverty level, and many others are hanging on by a thread,” Horsford continued. “We have the most unstable housing market in the country in Nevada, and many families are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. We need to refocus federal programs to help those who need it most and to provide families with the support they need and deserve. It’s time to end the school-to-prison pipeline and give all Nevadans the chance they need to succeed. Our state’s high school graduation rate is the worst in the nation. If we fail our kids at school, we prepare them for a life of unnecessary struggle and squalor. It is time for local and federal officials to focus on doing their jobs so that our children have a fighting chance.”

This is the reality of poverty in America. People are not poor because they're "black/brown & lazy". People are poor because they're working to just barely survive.

Last week, Cliven Bundy was making news across the nation for his "Range War"... Until he started talking about race. Now, he's an afterthought in the national media (even though his gang is still raising hell in Mesquite & Bunkerville). However, the disturbing message he conveyed is anything but an afterthought. We're still seeing that message rear its ugly head, even if that head happens to be more veiled now.

And it's time we take notice.