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.