Plain and simple, greed has taken this country to its knees

When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, it was the belief of those in charge that our country was preventing against future attacks by terrorists.

Surely, this country and its allies would find weapons of mass destruction while also preventing against future attacks on our soils. More than five years since sending thousands of troops into harm’s way in what has proven to be expenditure worth gazillions, we’re discovering that the real land mines are in this country.

Our greatest dangers are dressed in three-piece suits with flashy shoes. They drive expensive cars, talk a good game and make regular trips to the bank with armloads of cash stolen from fellow Americans.

You see, the terrorists taking this country to its knees right now are actually Americans. They operate using deceit as a weapon while stealing billions from thousands of people who have placed their trust in fellow-Americans.

Look no further than Bernard Madoff, a so-called Wall Street powerhouse who has ripped off more than $50 billion from clients that include some noteworthy folks who are now seeing their retirements disappear.

Madoff’s actions have taken people to their knees, but he is not alone in his actions. You see fraud and theft unfortunately seem to be a part of our country that has become everyday behavior.

But Madoff’s reported actions certainly are not alone. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been implicated in another mess and still other politicians are being hammered for everything from cheating on their spouses to racketeering.
Look around you. Politicians in virtually every corner of this country are in trouble for everything from selling votes to abuse of power.

From one end of this county to the other, we have so many politicians and high-ranking officials going to prison that they could start a fraternity featuring stripes and numbers across their chests. Sadly, it’s almost a way of life and the common folks are getting their life savings ripped away from them in droves as the politicians and Wall Street types scam everyone from little old ladies to the owners of professional sports franchises.

I mean the continued reports of leaders in every position conducting themselves in startling and dishonest ways is so endless that we seem to take the developments for granted. Sad to say, but we don’t seem to have many credible leaders anymore.

In fact, I have a very good friend who has refused to run for office in some cases because the trail of misdeeds left behind by the previous administration was so corrupt that a once respected level of government had become the laughing stock of the country.

In virtually every case, the offenses are based on greed with total disregard for those who are being affected. The mere fact that the offenders can sleep is mind-boggling considering that they have victimized good, honest people by combining an element of deceit and theft with heartless behavior.

I still say we could have stayed out of Iraq and instead concentrated on our own problems right here in our country. Lord knows we could use a little help here in what has become a battlefield of financial and political terrorists born and raised right here in the United States.

Ron Futrell cleared of all charges

Dec. 17, 2008

From Future Vegas Media

Former Channel 13 Sports and News anchor Ron Futrell has been cleared of all charges relative to his accident on July 25th. There were 5 charges against Ron and they have all been dropped. In the end Ron will pay no fine and not even have a traffic ticket on his record because of the accident.

Ron had been removed from the anchor job on the morning news and told that his contract would not be renewed about a month before the accident, then Channel 13 fired Ron after the accident. He had worked 20 years at KTNV as Sports Director and the last 5 years as morning news anchor. He covered many of the great sporting events in Las Vegas history. Boxing through its glory days, Rebel basketball through its National Championship and the rise of NASCAR, just to name a few.

In a statement Ron said: "I am happy that this has all been cleared up and ready to move forward. I love Las Vegas, my family is here, my life is here and I will stay here. I have gained a new perspective on the media that very few have. After 30 years of covering sports and news stories, then BECOMING the story and being exonerated, I have seen the media from a point of view that few have seen. That certainly could be valuable no matter what I do in the future."

Ron has been doing a number of things since he left KTNV, he has done news consulting for a Utah TV station, public relations for Comprehensive Financial Services in Summerlin, he hosts a national sports talk show on the Sports Byline USA Network and is building a web site for locals here in Las Vegas at: www.localslovevegas.com

You can contact Ron directly at: ronsports@yahoo.com or (702) 743-2000 or attorney Andy Leavitt at (702) 382-2800.

The Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas has memories that willl live forever

The Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas is undergoing changes, but no one will ever be able to erase the history of the hotel casino.

I know since I was employed as everything from a busboy to a warehouseman and finally a bell hop from 1969-74 when the money was good and the times were beyond belief in many ways.

It was in the early years that the Sahara was owned by the legendary Del Webb, who had real estate holdings including the Sahara Tahoe, the old Thunderbird and Mint hotels along with ownership of the New York Yankees, to name a few.

A pleasant and humble man whose demeanor made him a friend to everyone from the front desk clerk to the maid and the valet parking attendant, Webb represented an era in Las Vegas when the corporate element was virtually non-existent and the times were fun.

And the Sahara was a fun place, as evidenced by the unending memories within the grounds of the 1,000-room layout.

Probably the greatest memories stemmed from the personalities who performed at the Sahara ranging from comedian Don Rickles to the singing group The Kim Sisters and singer Teresa Brewer. Add Sonny and Cher into the mix along with Buddy Hackett and Johnny Carson and it’s easy to see why the Sahara was the class of its field more than three decades ago.

Truth be known, one of Rickles’ funniest moments came when the young Kim Sisters were in the audience at the old Casbar Lounge in the Sahara.

“None of us knew English,” recalled Sue Kim many years later. “So when Don started ranting and raving at us, we all left. We didn’t know what to think at the time.”

The employees of the Sahara loved Rickles, who before leaving for the Riviera spoke freely with the staff and always left behind tokens of his appreciation upon completing his engagement. He would hit the door of the Sahara teasing an old bell captain from Louisiana named Les Garrity and patrons and employees always welcomed him back when he returned.

In the same breath, Carson was a highly-private individual who while well-liked, didn’t mix often with the help. Word had it that while Carson was one of the best entertainers ever at the Sahara, he shied from the public when off-stage and cherished his quiet time when not performing.

Sonny Bono, whose career was skyrocketing during the 1970s at the Sahara thanks in part to the glowing performances of his wife, Cher, created a memory that will forever live in Sahara history while strolling through the warehouse.

In his day, Bono was a fitness freak – so much so that he took every pound seriously. That said, he stripped to his bikini underwear in the warehouse and jumped on the Toledo scales, which just happened to be situated smack-dab in front of the office windows and in full view of the women in the office.

When confronted about his near-naked attire while standing in front of the eyes-wide-open female employees of the Sahara purchasing department, the brazen Bono said in part that he could not have cared less about the view he was offering.

When it came to Hackett, there could not have been a more despised individual in the hotel than him. In fact, during a break between shows one evening, several waiters and waitresses fumed about his comments to them during a previous show, and threatened to dump all of their trays and dishes in unison during his show.

In fact, Hackett even reportedly shot out the headlights of a vehicle he claimed was parked in his reserved parking space.

Then, there were the countless conventions that the Sahara attracted over the years ranging from morticians to the Tail Hookers to gun collectors and the rest. In addition, Jerry Lewis’ Muscular Dystrophy telethon fund raiser every year started at the Sahara before moving on.

In the case of the Tail Hookers – which were former members of Navy air craft carrier crews – there was not a bigger party on earth each year when the partying was intense and furniture was thrown out balcony windows and into the Sahara swimming pool before moving to the Hilton where they gained national notoriety for their antics.

And in its day, the Sahara was host to the PGA Sahara Invitational when the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Chi Chi Rodriguez headed a field of folks who were not only good golfers but good tippers at the same time. During a time when the current PGA tournament is struggling for spectators, the Sahara Invitational drew thousands each year.

The Sahara is about to be upgraded into a new look that will bring it up today’s standards.

However, I’ll take the old days of the Sahara when an element of surprise combined with the class of Del Webb created the old-time fun of the Las Vegas Strip.

Okay, so who's responsible for this particular letter?

Homeowners associations were introduced many years ago presumably so residents would work together. Mini governments were created so that neighborhoods could watch over one another.

The idea was good, but the end result has been one of endless battles. I mean, Iraq hasn’t got as many war zones as those that have been created by homeowners associations and their property management teams not to mention the attorneys that prey on them.

So, curiosity immediately got the best of me as I quickly opened the letter from our property management firm which oversees our community in Duck Creek, Utah. I knew that my homeowners association bill had been paid, so I wondered if recent queries about a myriad of issues had prompted a response.

Upon opening the envelope, I found a letter advising me that a sign belonging to my builder Greg DeMille had to be removed from the property. If I didn’t remove the sign, I was facing a $100 fine for refusing to follow the rules.

The only problem was that the sign had been removed in July following an HOA meeting when it was deemed necessary that signs such as these were not allowable following the completion of a cabin. It all sounded good to me, and the free advertising I had allowed on a tree was removed following our meeting.

To me, all was handled until the third week of November when I received a letter telling me to either remove the sign by Jan. 1, 2009 or face the consequences for violating the order. We had just returned from three wonderful days in Duck Creek, where a sign on our mantle says “The only bad thing about Duck Creek is the drive home.”

Mind you, I received no phone calls asking me if the sign was still up and apparently nobody bothered checking my property to see that the sign had actually been removed. The simplest way to handle such a dispute (if there had been one in the first place) was to give me a call, and I would have either ordered the sign to be removed or taken it down myself.
The first thing I did was call my builder.

“Hey, have you been putting your sign up in front of our cabin after we leave and then taking it down before we return,” I asked in jest to our dedicated builder.

DeMille was about as dumbfounded by the question as I was by the letter I had just received.

I then called the property management firm near Salt Lake City only to be told that the homeowners association had ordered distribution of the letter four months ago although it wasn’t sent out until November.

Uh okay. But the problem is the sign was gone only a matter of days after our meeting. And while we’re at it, did anyone bother checking to see if there was still a violation before spending money to write the letter and send it in the mail?
I kept thinking to myself that we have two lots in Duck Creek amounting to annual fees of $400 – and this is what I get for paying my bills time?

The next call I made was to long-time friend and Nevada State Sen. Mike Schneider, whose long battles with homeowner associations has led to major revisions of homeowner rights thanks to his work in Carson City. His efforts have been lauded all over the country and other states have even ratified laws enacted through Schneider’s help.

I told Sen. Schneider that we might want to expand his authority into southern Utah, where a very basic sign belonging to my builder had turned into the threat of a $100 fine even though it hadn’t been on the tree in front of our cabin for months.
Considering that Schneider has testified all over the country for homeowners rights, he listened to my plight. Knowing that HOAs and their management firms have started long battles over things as silly as a basketball hoop being left in the driveway, I wanted this misunderstanding cleared up with the same vengeance that president-elect Barack Obama has tackled the economy.

Not a problem, Sen. Schneider assured me. This issue will get cleared up before the Utah State Legislature meets again. We’re not going to have to worry about our escape in Duck Creek turning into a chapter of the Stepford Wives.
Whew. Thank goodness.

I had been in fear that my next letter would center on the fact that needles were falling from the trees and I needed to clean them up before the first snow storm.

And to think all of this could have been handled with a phone call.

Mike Henle is a Las Vegas-based freelance writer and the author of “Through the Darkness: One Man’s Fight to Overcome Epilepsy.” He can be contacted by email at mhenle@aol.com or through his web site www.mikehenle.com.

Will someone please tell me the role of an efficiency expert?

It goes without saying that anyone who works for someone else is worried about now. Cutbacks are running rampant as the economy spirals downward and our retirement funds disappear like water during a drought.

And about now, there is a special breed of know-it-alls that raise their heads during bad times about like real estate agents surface during good times.

They are called efficiency experts, those well-dressed individuals who carry expensive brief cases and show up to put the fear of God in every business where they suddenly appear.

Efficiency experts resemble vultures circling wounded or sick animals in the middle of a field waiting to strike and remove the prey. You may have worked for decades in one place when all of a sudden, a stranger with a sharp pencil and a convincing voice shows up and is instantly worshiped by management as an expert.

Mind you, in many cases the efficiency expert actually has good advice, although we all kind of wonder why it takes a new guy on the block to disclose a weakness that has been evident for days, weeks or even years before.

I mean, why did the boss have to actually hire someone to outline a weakness recognized by everyone from the janitors to the CEO? Just when we’re supposed to be cutting corners, management spends big-time bucks for someone who not only doesn’t know his or her way around the building but could not possibly understand the strengths and weaknesses of the inner workings.

So, as frightened employees sit in their cubicles, they begin to fear that they are in the crosshairs. Or better yet, we all wonder just what it is about an efficiency expert that makes him or her knowledgeable about a topic he or she hasn’t been involved with until only the past few days.

About the time you get settled into your desk, there is that new face sitting in the boss’s office reviewing paper work and obviously studying the employee base. You start to feel like a rookie on a pro football team and cuts are about to be made.
Paranoia begins to set in and just when you should be concentrating on that deal you need to close, you start worrying about the fact your shirt may be wrinkled or your hair might be out of place. You don’t know the efficiency expert, so you don’t know what that individual is watching, what he is saying or what is expected of you.

But you know the hammer is ready to fall while also realizing that reaching your full productivity is stymied by an economy so ill that politicians are saying we are on the brink of another depression.

You have personal issues in your life that need to be addressed and now the efficiency expert is circling the office with a move so slow and smooth that you’d swear you’re hearing the music from the movie “Jaws” in the background.
Just when you start to relax, the efficiency expert is back on the grounds again. You see this same individual walking down the hallway, so you instantly duck into one of the backrooms or exit out a side door.

The government is bailing out the financial system in this country and you begin to wonder who is going to help you when times get even tougher. You’re an honest, hard-working soul who is simply trying to make ends meet, and it’s difficult to understand why the big boys take the money and go on expensive junkets while you are not sure you could even get unemployment benefits were you to get terminated.

Oh well, maybe I’m ready for another job change anyway. And while we’re discussing the future, I think it’s time to become an efficiency expert so that I can see first-hand just what these people do.

Mike Henle is a Las Vegas-based freelance writer and the author of “Through the Darkness: One Man’s Fight to Overcome Epilepsy.” He can be contacted via email at mhenle@aol.com or through his web site www.mikehenle.com.

Insurance more important than sprinklers

Home fire creates memories that live forever

The date Jan. 14, 2002 will forever live in my mind as the day we survived a horrific experience.
It was on this day that we all started out our typical daily routine. My wife was preparing for work, our youngest son was readying to attend his high school classes and I decided I would head for the gym.

All was fine until about three hours after we had all left. It was at that point that I received a frantic call from my neighbor with the mind-boggling line “You had better get home quick. Your house is fully-engulfed.”

I cannot tell you the panic that instantly ran through my mind, as I attempted to gather my senses while walking through the parking lot about 15 miles from home. Surely, this had to be a big joke, I thought, as I headed back to my car.

Heading west up the I-215 beltway in Las Vegas, a gazillion things ran through my mind as I looked toward the mountains to see smoke, which was the result of our 3,800 square-foot home custom going up in flames. Phone numbers started rolling through my mind ranging from my wife to my insurance agent and my neighbors (I had remembered that we left our Schnauzer, Blitz, inside in his kennel in an uncharacteristic move because my wife had feared he would get cold outside).

I called my wife’s boss to get him to drive her home. I then called my insurance agent (I accidentally called my former insurance agent first leading me to wiping egg off my face while driving like a mad man) before calling the neighbors to save Blitz along with our cockatiel, Steve.

The closer I got to the home the weaker I became. When I took the final two-mile drive up the road to our home and entered the cul-de-sac, there were countless fire trucks, an indescribable level of fear running rampant all over and the God-awful feeling that we were actually homeless.

Within minutes, a bus-load of individuals was loading burned and smoke-filled items out of our home. The front yard looked like a massive garage sale was taking place as the reality that our home was burning slowly set it.

A short time later, our insurance adjuster showed up assuring us that we would be taken care of. At the same time, he handed us a check for $2,000 for the essentials (like toiletries, clothing, etc.) and reiterated that he would have living quarters for us soon.

Just about that time, a little boy walked up to us with a handful of change to say “Hi. I don’t know who you are, but I want you to know that we are here to help.”

At that point, he dropped his change into our hands as nearly everyone within earshot wiped away the tears from their eyes. It was one of those moments that will forever live in our minds.

Our insurance adjuster found us a furnished home that evening, although we did spend the first night in a hotel. To borrow a line from the company, we were “in good hands,” although we truly had no idea until tragedy turned our beautiful home into a burned-out mess.

The fire had apparently been burning slowly all night long between the floors of our two-story home. Had it broken through to the second floor in the middle of the night, we might not have escaped.

Ironically, I had been involved in a struggle with the Clark County Commission working against the mandatory installation of fire sprinklers in single-family homes, a controversial issue that has raised its head again nationally. The commission reversed an earlier ruling and instead chose not to enforce the sprinkler ordinance.

Our fire was electrical in nature, and fire sprinklers would not have helped. In fact, the only key to the fire sprinkler issue was that they would have added $2 a foot to the construction of the home.

Truthfully, the maintenance aspect relating to fire sprinklers along with the possible water damage concerned me more than the fire itself. Many will agree that fire sprinklers are being encouraged simply because of the efforts of special interest groups, and not specifically because of the so-called safety issue.

However, the bottom line was that we were prepared for our disaster, although we didn’t know it at the time. We were dealt with fairly by our insurance company and because of that, we were able to carry on with our lives.

We survived the house fire while resurrecting our lives, but not without dedicated help from friends, family and yes, our insurance company.

But the fact remains that we could have been in dire shape were it not for the fact that we had an updated insurance policy with coverage we didn’t even know we had.

Fire can hit anywhere and at any time. The key is being properly prepared and frankly, I think the investment of my insurance policy was more important than the money I almost had to spend on fire sprinklers.

The tough get going when the going gets tough

When the economy was booming two years ago, everyone with an extra buck was investing in the future. Real estate was a hot commodity and anyone with a sales pitch was becoming a Realtor.

Power lunches were a daily occurrence, and flashy cars were suddenly on the driveway of every “expert” in the community. Those who attired themselves in shorts and tennis shoes were suddenly seen purchasing high-dollar clothes for seminars given by smooth-talkers selling CDs and books that would spell instant success.

The fact that credit cards were used to create the success stories was reason enough to indicate a boom would eventually lead to a bust. Plastic money and plastic people were leading us to wonder when all of this would end.

In the meantime, banks provided loans with something called “stated income” based on adjustable rate mortgages in what most certainly created a house of cards that has since collapsed. Properties of all price ranges now feature “bank owned” signs while the lenders shut off the utilities and let the properties turn into eyesores.

And with real estate prices soaring, the entire scenario had frightening similarities to pyramid schemes, where investors keep feeding funds into a frenzy that eventually explodes and leaves people feeling ripped off.

With the downturn of the economy, reality has set in and the “experts” have replaced their expensive lunches with TV dinners and watched helplessly as their Mercedes was being repossessed in the middle of the night. Those same people are now taking city buses for visits with their stock brokers, who continue to say that the most recent fall in the market signaled we have all reached the bottom.

The rise was exciting, but the fall was dramatic. Our retirement accounts have been slashed and our faith in government has been damaged after learning that those we trusted weren’t so smart after all.

Even more disturbing is a recent survey conducted by CNN commentator Lou Dobbs stating that almost 70 percent of those polled believe that presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain both lack the expertise needed to lead us out of this mess.

About now, everyone is scared whether you’re someone just trying to survive or you happen to be a wealthy soul with big-time money. It’s so startling that some are comparing this to the Depression, and even the most positive of people is concerned.

However, if there is a secret to handling the current situation, it lies in the philosophy that patience is the greatest secret. In other words, flipping out does no one any good.

Great leaders are those who deal with situations calmly, although it is understandable that some are beginning to panic.

However, if ever there were a necessary ingredient to handling the current situation, it lies with people who make a living selling everything from cars to real estate to insurance and the rest.

The days of order-takers are gone, at least for now. Gone for now are the days when customers walked in the door with checkbooks in-hand.

Order-takers are stunned. They don’t know what to do now.

If you’re a real estate agent, when was the last time you called a current or former customer just to say hello? And if you’re an insurance agent, have you bothered scheduling appointments with clients to make sure they have proper coverage?

My stock broker Tim Bodie of Wachovia Securities calls me each month. More times than not, we talk more about family and friends than we do the market. But he calls and I stop what I’m doing to hear what he has to say.

Like most others, I know absolutely nothing about the stock market, and I need to be informed especially as things change.

It is just good business to stay in touch with clients.

The fact that Bodie received referral business off a simple phone call always remained a good possibility. Just calling to say hello can do so much for all involved.

We are in a shake-down period when the order-takers are moaning the blues while studying what to do with the rest of their lives. The rest of us are not going to give up and we will learn from the negative atmosphere we are now facing.

There is business out there, if only those who work in sales would call former customers or play a role in the community whether it be volunteering in youth activities or feeding the homeless. The theory that you will receive if only you will give is so vitally true.

But ya gotta give first.

Dying is no big deal; it's living that can be tough

Every time I pay my last respects at a funeral, I tend to wonder about the statement that the deceased “is now in a better place.” However, I think I have finally figured why people say that the individual who has died is on to better things.

From someone who has cheated death on several occasions, I remember well having seizures in my continued bout with epilepsy dating back to the time I was about seven years of age.

The epilepsy has been removed from my life thanks to the work of doctors at Scripps Green Hospital, where at the age of 43, right-side temporal lobectomy brain surgery Dec. 6, 1994 not only ended the seizures but probably saved my life at the same time.

One day before the surgery, I would have four seizures. The next day, my doctors that included brain surgeon Dr. Thomas Waltz and neurologist Dr. Andy Aung removed a sizeable chunk of my brain to end a long battle.
With the space I now have on the right side of my head, I joke that I am literally an airhead. An MRI earlier this year showed a significant gap behind my right eye.

However, while I am well now, I often think back about the seizures I experienced for decades. They would strike unexpectedly and in some cases, I would awaken confused, tired and frightened at the experience.

In some cases, epileptic seizures can result in death. However, when an epileptic has a seizure, there generally is no pain considering that the person sometime passes out only to awaken some time later.

My own life could have been ended quickly, although in each case I would recover to face another day. And after thinking about the many years with epilepsy, it finally struck me that dying would not have been a big deal considering the fact that it happened so quickly.

Truth be known, awakening was the hard part knowing that surviving the next day would provide the biggest challenge of all. Facing the reality of one issue after another is actually our greatest test.

Slumping to the ground wasn’t a big deal, although it did create an embarrassment factor that was tough to live with. While recovering from the seizure, there was a level of relief along with an element of mystery knowing this sort of thing could happen anywhere, anytime.

Personally, I am glad I survived my own health issues. However, the fact remains that I have begun to realize that today’s woes ranging from a sagging economy to simply paying bills is not easy.

And on several occasions, I was a candidate to move on to “a better place.” I no longer would have had to worry about the long list of challenges that seem to get even greater as we get older.

I could have been a simple memory, but instead I arose to face another day. Surely, there is a reason.

When Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore died from complications related to an ATV crash, Matthews told a crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, “It’s always easier to leave than be left.”

I mean, dying would have been a painless step -- no big deal. It’s the surviving part that can be a real drag and I’m starting to realize why many say the Golden Years can make epilepsy-related headaches seem minor.
In an instant, it could have all been over. One more mention in an obituary notice.

However, there was apparently more on the board for me to do before getting to a better place. It wasn’t time to give up yet even though checking out would have been much easier.

And I’ll take the extra time on earth. Besides, I have never been one to give up.

Mike Henle is a Las Vegas-based freelance writer and the author of “Through the Darkness: One Man’s Fight to Overcome Epilepsy.” He can be contacted via email at mhenle@aol.com, or through his web site www.mikehenle.com

Bad things do happen to good people

The phrase “bad things happen to good people” is something that sticks in my mind. It was the subject of a well-written book, and serves as a thought-provoking phrase when the tide gets too high or I seem to run into one person after another who is mean-spirited and uncaring.

You see, it was one year ago Aug. 3 when the hard-working and dedicated Panguitch, Utah real estate agent Tracy Armstrong was shot four times in his office at the Blue Springs Lodge by a crazed 24-year-old Las Vegas man named Jasson Hines, who was sentenced from four years to life for a senseless crime.

The 45-year-old Armstrong was simply doing his job readying rental cabins when the man walked into the office, opened fire in front of his father and turned the life of a good man into one challenge after another.

And we wonder day after day about why bad things happen to good people like Tracy Armstrong. We wonder why the mean side of society continually thieves and pillages our country without consequences.
Why is it that bad people prosper and continue to hurt people, while good people like Tracy Armstrong are victimized? Compassion is something that people use to have.

Bad people keep right on hurting while walking to the bank with their profits, as the rest of us struggle from day to day to avoid the hurt and the ambush.

Any where. Any time. We are all potential targets of mean people and bad setbacks in a nation rife with chaos, thievery and vandalism. It is happening in churches and it is happening in tiny towns in Southern Utah.

The fact that this happened at all remains mind-boggling to begin with, but when we heard that it happened in Panguitch, it reminded me that the world has indeed gone haywire. A couple with nine children in a quaint little community from Panguitch was the victim of a horrific act of violence that will undoubtedly change the family forever.

Just when we start to get comfortable, someone like Tracy Armstrong is taken down and all at once, we good people are starting to feel like the minority in a world dominated by bad people. Meanwhile, many of the bad people seem to go on without paying the consequences.

Even more amazing is that good people keep on being good and dealing with the everyday struggles and ambushes. People like Armstrong’s wife, Lynn, keep telling the world they’re gonna make it no matter what the challenge while the rest of us worry about the slightest issue.

I mean, talk about getting your priorities in order. I cannot imagine a more dedicated person on earth than Lynn Armstrong, who celebrated her 24th anniversary with Tracy July 13. Her husband has been hurt, and she is determined to help in every way possible whether it means making sure he takes his meds, soothing him with good conversation or simply just being by his side.

Reading the family blog (www.tracyarmstrong.blogspot.com) is like attending a church service seven days a week considering that the family maintains a positive attitude no matter what the latest set back presented. It is inspiring and brings faith to a nation rocked by marital break-ups considering that this particular couple works through daily challenges with a situation that is far from normal.

We complain about the weather being too hot, and Lynn Armstrong deals with the fact that her husband has been paralyzed – and she never waivers. She keeps going because she can’t give up, and in writing her blog she inspires the rest of us to do the same.

“Everyone has different challenges that they have to face, and other people have it hard, too,’’ Mrs. Armstrong said recently. “Just from the comments that have been written, people say they have been inspired by my blog. But their comments inspire me at the same time.”

Thankfully, good people never give up. They get knocked down and they get back up waiting for a right-cross to stagger them again.

They live with the fact that the next vacation probably won’t happen for awhile, and they accept the reality that tomorrow will bring yet another issue. You begin to feel like a soldier in Iraq hoping that the next field has no land mines while also knowing that you had better watch where you step.

At the risk of sounding like a qualified psychologist (which I am not), I have to believe the drug culture has finally caught up with us. We have become victims of mind-altering drugs both legal and illegal that are causing people to shoot others or rip them off of their life savings.

Indeed, it’s true that bad things happen to good people. With all of their problems, Lynn and Tracy Armstrong keep holding the rest of us together.

And we’re not gonna give up either, because Lynn and Tracy Armstrong won’t let us.

Mike Henle is a Las Vegas based freelance writer and the author of “Through the Darkness: One Man’s Fight to Overcome Epilepsy.” He can be contacted via email at mhenle@aol.com or through his web site www.mikehenle.com.

Polygamy Porter beer proves a marketing genius is at work

Smith’s Food King in Cedar City has become the family pit stop each time we head for Duck Creek. When we are traveling through Cedar City, Utah, we stop to purchase food and supplies en route to Highway 14.

And on one particular pit stop at Smith’s, I was reminded that the beer purchased there was different than the brew purchased in Vegas.

In short, the majority of the beer in Utah is 3.2 in alcohol content, so I mentioned the fact to my friendly checker since Nevada’s alcohol count is higher.

“Go over to the refrigerator and find yourself some Polygamy Porter,” the checker responded as my face immediately produced a “say what?” look. “It’s four-point beer brewed in northern Utah.”

Surely, the clerk was kidding, I thought. He was simply being funny while also expressing a unique wit.

But the guy reiterated that there actually was a beer called Polygamy Porter in the store, so I wandered back to the refrigerator to look for something I was certain was simply a big joke.

Upon opening the refrigerator door, there in plain sight was Polygamy Porter beer. On the label was a guy with his arms around a naked woman. Behind him were several other half-clad women with the line “Why have just one!” along the bottom of the label.

I stood there holding one of the bottles with a look on my face that had to be priceless. So stunned at what I was viewing, I must have looked like a statue as I attempted to make sense of what I had discovered.

But Polygamy Porter beer is the real deal. It is the result of an uncanny campaign by a genius from Milwaukee named Greg Schirf, whose ability to draw attention should be the topic of every marketing campaign in America.

Schirf set up shop in Park City, unleashed his Polygamy Porter Beer and plopped his feet on the desk as the publicity gained unstoppable momentum.

Once we arrived back in our home of Las Vegas, I immediately got on the phone and started telling everyone I knew about my discovery. We assembled a group of knowledgeable experts for a taste test.

The group of experts included Nevada State Senator Mike Schneider; former Doc Severinsen lead trumpet player Tony Scodwell; and Tony’s friend and fellow musician Larry Jess, who was visiting from Spokane.

Once our trusty trio of brew crew critics got done laughing at Schirf’s bottle and the carton, the caps were removed and the first swigs were taken. At the top of each bottle is “Bring some home for the wives.”

“This is my first beer since my heart surgery in February, and I love it!” exclaimed Jess, who added that he was going to look for Polygamy Porter as soon as he returned to Spokane.

The 65-year-old Scodwell, a native of Wisconsin who has actually made a living taste-testing liquor, was quick to concur with his friend.

“As is the case with all Wasatch brewed beers, Polygamy Porter has a bit of chocolate and coffee in the initial taste without the heaviness of some of the darker porters,” said Scodwell. “It’s very refreshing for our summertime but not without a substantial amount of heft. This is something that only someone from Milwaukee could dream up.”

Schneider joined the chorus of plaudits showering Polygamy Porter, which is being sold as the controversy related to polygamist Warren Jeffs has gained national attention.

“It’s a good beer,” said Schneider. “What an absolutely brilliant idea.”

Ironically, Schneider and the rest of the legislators in Nevada have been thrust into a controversy surrounding Gov. Jim Gibbons, whose reported womanizing has gained headlines in virtually every gossip rag in the country.

In fact, while I don’t claim to know marketing like Schirf, I think we have all come up with an idea based on the controversies created by Gibbons.

Yeh, a bottle of beer with Gibbons on the front surrounded by six half-clad women would be another marketing masterpiece.
I mean, considering that Nevada is the hotbed of new ideas, this one would make people forget the line “What happens here stays here.”

Sharon Ramquist of Milwaukee, contacted during the taste test, said it best when she proclaimed “They should have the line ‘You can’t have just one’ on the new Nevada beer with Gibbons on the label.”

Somebody needs to get hold of Schirf. Tell him it is time to expand his idea especially considering that I got the last two six-packs at Smith’s last weekend.

Mike Henle is a Las Vegas-based freelance writer and the author of “Through the Darkness: One Man’s Fight to Overcome Epilepsy.” He can be contacted via email at mhenle@aol.com, or through his web site www.mikehenle.com

ATVs and morons add up to money for Kane County

Quick – somebody get me a radar gun and a ticket book

At 57, I am entering a phase of my life when most people reflect on where they have been and where they are going.

In our case, we have found time to have a second home in Southern Utah, where the people are friendly and the country is beautiful. And exploring the many areas of Southern Utah can be done via relaxing and slow rides on ATVs, which almost offer a level of therapy.

However, yet another benefit as it relates to ATVs is that while Kane County is reportedly running short on funds, I have the ideal solution to correct the deficit. We have all noticed that while property values decline, property taxes are going up, which leads us to believe that Southern Utah needs money.

But the political types need not worry. While the economy has continued to decline, Kane County could be on the verge of record revenues.

You see, while many of us value our time outdoors and respect the feelings of others, there is a growing number of morons who think ATVs are ideal for running at Mach I speeds while generating unnerving noise levels and putting others in danger.

If you’re a law enforcement officer, all you need is a ticket book and a tow truck for impounding dirt bikes, quads and three-wheelers piloted by buffoons. Get yourself an impound yard to start counting the funds generated through the auction of ATVs.

One particular incident sticks in my mind. While standing on a dirt road in Duck Creek, I was horrified by the sight of a man on a three-wheeler running at least 50 mph – with a four-year-old little boy on the front of the ATV (no helmet).

It was at that point that I knew instantly I should have been a law enforcement officer since I instantly began waving my arms to make the guy slow down. Stunned that the little boy had no helmet while the rider attempted to set land speed records, I couldn’t wait to interrogate the offender.

The guy actually stopped the ATV and apologized for his actions as the little boy sat terrified atop the three-wheeler. If I had been a Kane County
deputy sheriff, the bill for this guy to get out of hawk would have added hundreds of dollars to a coffer crying for help.

Simply put, the violations of ATV riders are plaguing areas of Southern Utah, especially Duck Creek and the surrounding area. Those who enjoy a nice quiet ATV ride are being victimized by frustrated motocross competitors who seem more intent on not only ruining the environment but putting people’s lives in jeopardy at the same time.

And it’s only a matter of time before all of us are forced to park our ATVs thanks to environmentalists who are going to eliminate our fun. Unfortunately, tree-huggers who have already shut down wilderness areas are about to padlock the gates of Southern Utah – and you can thank those who have abused Southern Utah for the latest possible move.

But before we’re all forced to sell our ATVs and replace our recreation with nature walks, somebody needs to encourage Kane County to first capitalize on the situation. I mean, with a declining economy, Kane County has the opportunity to capitalize on a financial windfall thanks to the brainless bastion of ATV riders hell-bent on ruining the environment and killing people at the same time.

Quick, somebody get me a radar gun, a ticket book and one of those badges that make me look like one of those big, mean highway patrolmen who arrive at your vehicle with “cha-ching” written all over their lapels.

You see, in some communities in Las Vegas, citizen patrols ticket everything from pizza deliverymen to postal workers and residents – and the homeowners associations happily collect the fines.

We don’t need to increase our dues when ATV riders can offset our need for funding. The only urgency is based on the fact that we had better get started before the tree-huggers take away our ability to generate revenue.

Mike Henle is a Las Vegas-based freelance writer and the author of “Through the Darkness: One Man’s Fight to Overcome Epilepsy.” He can be contacted via email at mhenle@aol.com or through his web site www.mikehenle.com