Very scary.
<a href="http://tinyurl.com/5d3ho">
http://tinyurl.com/5d3ho</a>
LVRJ - Gaming Control Board agents fabricated crimes to aid casino
And of course, this is just another little nugget that contributes
to my paranoid, delusional, fantastical, insane belief that the
Gaming Control Commission as well as Nevada law enforcement are a
bunch of lawless thugs with carte blanche to do whatever the
casinos, their masters, want them to do.
This delusional paranoia is unfortunately reinforced when I read an
article, such as above, in the newspaper. Articles like these appear
every few days. I guess I wouldn't be as paranoid if I ignored the
news.
I feel like Cassandra when I tell people that there is no actual
rule of law here in Nevada, and that civil rights are trumped by
casino influence and control at all levels of public endeavor. Maybe
reading this article will get some people thinking--perhaps my
paranoid fantasies have some validity to them!
People who haven't lived here don't realize how much this place
resembles 1920's Chicago; they can't imagine the extent of the
control casinos have over everyday life here.
···
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "vpFREE" <vpFREE@C...> wrote:
Very scary.
<a href="http://tinyurl.com/5d3ho">
http://tinyurl.com/5d3ho</a>
This is not an "article" that reports facts, it is an opinion piece by
an attorney who profits from his adversarial position against the
state.
It is indeed, scary, that gaming agents might have done the things
that Mr. Nersesian claims. But that's not the gist of the problem.
As the court ruled, even if it assumed that all the allegations of
misconduct are true, the legislature has decided that gaming agents
and police enjoy qualified immunity in the performance of their
duties. Apparently, the immunity is so all-encompassing that even
outrageous actions are covered.
"No actual rule of law in Nevada" : I have seen a lot of hyperbole on
the Internet and engaged in quite a bit myself, but this is a prize
winner. If the net.kook award were still being given, I might be
composing a nomination at this very moment.
"can't imagine the extent of control of casinos have over everyday
life here": come again? To the significant number of Nevada
residents who don't have any business with casinos, the extent of that
control is zero. Contrast the amount of control the casinos have over
everyday life in Nevada to the amount of control the United States Air
Force has over everyday life in Nevada. If one spends his life
grubbing in a casino, he might not notice who reallys calls the shots.
You could substitute "Bureau of Land Management" or "Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints" for "United States Air Force" and have
valid comparisons, all of which "the casinos" lose.
If anyone really believes that "the casinos," Metro Police, and the
Gaming Control Board are conspiring to either cheat him, control his
life, or deprive him of his civil rights, what can you say if he
continues to do business with "the casinos"? I leave it as an
exercise for the reader.
···
On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 05:52:55 -0000, rockofjello333 <rockofjello333@yahoo.com> wrote:
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "vpFREE" <vpFREE@C...> wrote:
>
>
> Very scary.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/5d3ho
>
> <a href="http://tinyurl.com/5d3ho">
> http://tinyurl.com/5d3ho</a>And of course, this is just another little nugget that contributes
to my paranoid, delusional, fantastical, insane belief that the
Gaming Control Commission as well as Nevada law enforcement are a
bunch of lawless thugs with carte blanche to do whatever the
casinos, their masters, want them to do.This delusional paranoia is unfortunately reinforced when I read an
article, such as above, in the newspaper. Articles like these appear
every few days. I guess I wouldn't be as paranoid if I ignored the
news.I feel like Cassandra when I tell people that there is no actual
rule of law here in Nevada, and that civil rights are trumped by
casino influence and control at all levels of public endeavor. Maybe
reading this article will get some people thinking--perhaps my
paranoid fantasies have some validity to them!People who haven't lived here don't realize how much this place
resembles 1920's Chicago; they can't imagine the extent of the
control casinos have over everyday life here.
--
Bruno Magli
Try my shoes!
This is not an "article" that reports facts, it is an opinion
piece by an attorney who profits from his adversarial position
against the state.
You're splitting hairs. The events that said attorney narrates
actually took place. The quotes are accurate. Therefore the position
he states is valid even if it IS adversarial.
It is indeed, scary, that gaming agents might have done the things
that Mr. Nersesian claims. But that's not the gist of the problem.As the court ruled, even if it assumed that all the allegations of
misconduct are true, the legislature has decided that gaming agents
and police enjoy qualified immunity in the performance of their
duties. Apparently, the immunity is so all-encompassing that even
outrageous actions are covered."No actual rule of law in Nevada" : I have seen a lot of hyperbole
on
the Internet and engaged in quite a bit myself, but this is a prize
winner. If the net.kook award were still being given, I might be
composing a nomination at this very moment.
Bruno, I know you have a problem with me and the opinions I hold.
It's becoming kind of reflexive for you to respond with negative
criticism to just about anything I post. BTW, the reference
to "kook.com" is just another thinly veiled insult. I wish you'd
learn to disagree with me without slinging mud. I'm not calling YOU
names or trying to demean you.
In fact, I'm perhaps unnecessarily dignifying your post by
responding:
I stand by my statement that there is no actual rule of law here in
Nevada. The police have unimaginably broad powers. Civil liberties
and the rights of the individual are routinely trampled on. Whether
justice and equity are obtained are direct functions of the level of
casino influence an individual has and whether the individual's
agenda agrees with the casinos'. Of course you find this hard to
believe; I agree it's like no other place in America. But a lot of
people find it hard to believe that Nevada has a multi-billion
dollar legalized prostitution industry.
"can't imagine the extent of control of casinos have over everyday
life here": come again? To the significant number of Nevada
residents who don't have any business with casinos, the extent of
that control is zero.
Pardon me while I die laughing!
Casinos have a direct effect on the labor market, the housing
market, the makeup of the neighborhoods around them, the traffic
flow near and around them. The entertainment options they offer
means that there is FAR less arts, culture, and professonal sports
than any other metro area of its size. There is a higher proportion
of smokers and drinkers here than any other metro area in the
western US, and that is brought about by the 24-hr availability of
casino booze (and the encouragement of smoking). Crime is high in
Las Vegas, as it is in any casino jurisdiction in the US. The
relative ease and high pay of casino jobs encourages a transient
mentality and a lack of community. The casinos function as a hidden
tax in that they draw money out of people's pockets that would
otherwise be spent on local goods and services. Etc, etc, etc, etc,
etc.
Believe me, I LIVE here (you DON'T--thus your baseless statement),
and you don't have to be a casino customer to see how pervasive the
casino influence is!
Contrast the amount of control the casinos have over
everyday life in Nevada to the amount of control the United States
Air Force has over everyday life in Nevada.
Actually, the analogy is apt, if one considers only Air Force bases.
Life on an AFB is controlled by the Air Force in a very similar
manner to the way life in a casino town is controlled by the casinos.
If one spends his life
grubbing in a casino, he might not notice who reallys calls the
shots.
You could substitute "Bureau of Land Management" or "Church of
Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints" for "United States Air Force" and have
valid comparisons, all of which "the casinos" lose.If anyone really believes that "the casinos," Metro Police, and the
Gaming Control Board are conspiring to either cheat him, control
his life, or deprive him of his civil rights, what can you say if he
continues to do business with "the casinos"? I leave it as an
exercise for the reader.
OK, I'll tell you why I continue to live here.
I have business and family obligations.
I wish to allow my niece, who I support, to finish middle school
here, where her friends are.
I have been told that this is a bad time to put my house on the
market.
I have business interests here worth hundreds of thousands of
dollars that I must continue to supervise closely, at least for the
near future.
None of this changes, or is changed by, the fact that I am sharply
critical of the Nevada establishment and the casino industry. I
continue to do business with the casinos when it benefits me to do
so. For instance, I went to a Christmas concert at Mandalay Bay the
other day. In another city this would be held at some municipal
concert venue. Las Vegas HAS no municipal concert venue. Therefore,
I either "do business" with the casinos, or I don't go to concerts.
···
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, Bruno Magli <bruno.magli@g...> wrote: