Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Nevadans in action

Friday, Sept. 29, 2000 | 10:38 a.m.

Mike O'Callaghan is the Las Vegas Sun executive editor.

Do you want a book for friends and relatives who live out of state or country? Authors Bob and Melinda Macy have published a real beauty to put in the mail. "The Stars of Las Vegas" has beautiful artwork along with stories of this city and the stars who made it shine. It's also a book that old-timers will enjoy and you can have in your home reading room. Bob's beautiful use of words and the artwork put together by Melinda will make this book a best seller.

Finally, somebody in Nevada did some excellent research and rebutted one of the latest attacks on the state's integrity. The "Liebman Study" from Columbia University used some very questionable statistics about the death penalty errors of Nevada. Deputy Attorney General Dorothy Nash Holmes, a former Washoe County district attorney, took the study apart piece by piece. This didn't please Liebman and his co-authors, so they wrote about their disagreements over Nash's conclusions. So that ended that. No, he received return mail from Carson City that concluded, "If the objective is to determine how often the death penalty has been reversed post-Furman, we consider our study results quite valid, and more reliable than yours because our examination lacked the subjectivity and selectivity you injected into your study. We simply asked the question, 'In all the death penalty cases reviewed and reported, how often was the sentence reversed and how often was it upheld?' Our examination of all the published opinions gave us reliable numbers. If we also had access to all the unpublished opinions, we could have found the total number of reversals and affirmations for those, too. We accurately reported our findings for state and federal inspections, and our findings show considerably less substantive error than you claim. We stand by our results."

My neighbor Joyce Avery and reader Alan Dunbar both believe the Silver State should make a monetary contribution for the building of our World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Although many individual Nevadans and at least one foundation have contributed, the state hasn't coughed up any dollars. Nevada is one of four states that haven't made a contribution, despite the words "Battle Born" being on its flag. After reviewing the heavy load of pork being distributed at the conclusion of every legislative session, the 2001 Legislature should correct this shortcoming. A $50,000 stipend wouldn't be beyond reason. Among the individual Nevada contributors was a large check for $21,000 from Imperial Palace owner Ralph Engelstad. He is the same man who showed special care and attention for the MIA and POW families here in Las Vegas during the Vietnam War.

The resignation of state Public Utilities Commissioner Judy Sheldrew has made some of her critics happy. She hasn't been easy to get along with, and her treatment of some subordinates has left much to be desired. So who is going to miss her? You, I and every resident of Nevada who must pay electric bills will miss her. Not only will ratepayers suffer, so will the entire commission, because she takes a wealth of knowledge and history with her.

Local ACLU guru Gary Peck accusing Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa of playing politics with the anonymous campaign flier attacking Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone doesn't make sense. She's following through in prosecuting a law that will now be reviewed by the courts. If she and Secretary of State Dean Heller did anything less they would certainly be open for legitimate criticism.

State Sen. Joe Neal, Chris Montanez and Uri Clinton all knew the rules when filing for the Senate seat in District 4. All are Democrats and no Republicans filed. Neal won the primary with more than 50 percent of the vote and, according to law, will be the only name on the ballot in the general election. Now, the Rev. Chester Richardson, a GOP candidate for Assembly, wants the courts to rule that Clinton's name should also be on the ballot. This doesn't make either Clinton or Neal happy because they see Richardson doing it just to promote his own candidacy. Clinton put it best when saying the Republicans should have filed a candidate if they wanted a general election contest. Of course, it couldn't be that Richardson is muddying up the waters in an effort to make life difficult for Neal and his drive to put a gambling tax increase on the ballot, could it? Nah, not the Rev.

Dr. Mel Ozeki, publisher of 'Ohana magazine, did all of us a favor by pointing out the insensitivity of a local automobile dealer's ad. Too often we forget about the past experiences of Asians and other minorities and only see what our individual experiences reflect ...