Print edition for October 12, 2006

Letter: Benefit of occupying Iraq outweighed by cost: Well Iran has, since 1979, been run by the Shiites, an avowed enemy of Osama bin Laden, a Sunni Muslim. The 1983 Beirut attacks on our peacekeeping force was Hezbollah's job, not al-Qaida's. Also, Saddam Hussein's secular, non-Islamic regime was a target of al-Qaida's subversion.

John Katsilometes on why everyone knows what's happening in Las Vegas: The tour was the result of Las Vegas hosting the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, set for Feb. 18 at the Thomas & Mack Center. Representatives of the NBA and LVCVA spent several days on the cross-promotional tour (with Ralenkotter and Goodman returning before the junket moved on to Cologne this week) to boost the international exposure of both organizations.

Analysis takes aim at PISTOL initiative: Jeff German and Steve Kanigher; Clark County taxpayers could face as much as $4.4 billion in extra roadway costs over 25 years if voters approve Nevada's eminent domain initiative on next month's ballot, an economic analysis concludes.

Editorial: Pahrump: Immigration police: An apparent attempt by local leaders to stem the tide of immigration - how far is Pahrump from the Mexican border? - would make it illegal for a bank to do business with undocumented immigrants.

Q+A: David Commanday: What: Masterworks I, featuring conductor David Commanday and violinist Lara St. John

LOOKING IN ON: MOTOR SPORTS: By anybody's standards, Kenny Bernstein is a drag-racing legend.

THE NEVADA VOTE: By J. Patrick Coolican; Mark DeStefano, Republican candidate for state treasurer, once helped a generic drug company that made no drugs merge with a restaurant company that owned no restaurants. The new company then merged with a technology company and now trades for about a nickel a share.

Letter: School District's spin is no solution: I've worked for 29 years in the School District and I believe our district administration continues to squander taxpayer money on "spin," when in fact, all the real, troubling, School District issues brought up by parents, teachers and concerned individuals fall on deaf ears. Student achievement and excellence continue to suffer as a result.

Letter: Reforming Congress should be top priority: It appears to me that both houses of Congress are spending way too much time trying to keep their jobs, and too little time doing their job! Both houses worked fewer than 100 days this past year. They also voted themselves a pay raise for the third consecutive year. Wow! Where else can you find a job like that?

Gambling on private-equity firms: By Liz Benston; A bid by a pair of private-equity firms to buy Harrah's Entertainment, if approved, will offer the latest evidence of a flourishing symbiotic relationship between Nevada regulators and the casino industry.

Finding a scapegoat: Investigations are under way to determine who knew about Foley's often sexually explicit communications with male congressional pages and when. Hastert has said he and two other House Republicans only learned of some of the e-mails last fall. Hastert said his staff members described them as "overly friendly," so he required no further action.

Editorial: Wrong people to underfund: Unfortunately, that troubling revelation reported by the Los Angeles Times is just one example of a broader story that is cause for immediate alarm - the FDA doesn't have the money to do its job. One indicator:

FLASHPOINT for Oct 12, 2006: So several Democratic women in Nevada have started a group to try to get females interested in politics. Sounds like a great idea and they have set up a Web site - emergenv.org . They want to get women involved at an early age and train them to be effective leaders. Kudos. Except for one, minor point: These Democratic women list a bunch of role models on the site and twice they refer to someone named "State Senator Dana Titus." Now perhaps when some of these women heard Dina Titus speak, the senator's Georgia twang caused them to misunderstand her ...

Berkley on easy street: Michael J. Mishak; Like the Las Vegas-area district she represents, Shelley Berkley is electric.

Pavilion director won't wave white flag: Yes, it's lost more and more money each year it's existed and, yes, it is large and white, but please, don't call the Henderson Pavilion a white elephant.