Print edition for February 11, 2007

Letter: For now, public deciding what is treason: In a time when the media supplies us with up-to-date coverage on most issues, Americans can examine what is presented to them and then exercise their right to free speech and agree or disagree with decisions made in Washington. Is that treason? I think not.

FLASHPOINT for Feb 11, 2007: By Jon Ralston; What would be worse - picking tomatoes or making beds in Las Vegas? According to Karl Rove, the president's closest adviser quoted in National Review Online , both are terrible to contemplate: "I don't want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas," a congressman's wife quoted Rove as saying . The quote was exploited by an anti-immigration writer to make the case that Rove's boss is proposing amnesty for illegals so they can do those horrible jobs. And it was used to tear apart Rove by Rep. Shelley Berkley. It shouldn't surprise Las ...

Editorial: Put contract to the test: His fellow doctors elected him chief of staff to represent them in dealings with the hospital's administration.

Modern urban challenge: bringing up black males: By Timothy Pratt; Justin Cook, now 15, recalls a police officer stopping him and his grandmother a few years ago on their way to Mario's Market on the West Side.

Ensign must keep his party together: WASHINGTON - Nevada Sen. John Ensign doesn't like to think about it this way, but a Senate vote expressing opposition to President Bush's planned surge of troops in Iraq could have cost his party money.

John Katsilometes takes part in what Mayor Oscar Goodman referred to as 'the most important day in Las Vegas history': Mayor Oscar Goodman, who claims to be the happiest mayor in the world, country or universe (depending on the event), was characteristically magnanimous Friday afternoon while describing the groundbreaking of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute. "This is the most important day in Las Vegas history - I don't know if people realize how big this is," Goodman said, gripping a martini glass at the event's post-party at the World Market Center. "It's incomparable. There is no comparison to anything we have brought to Las Vegas to what will happen on this site. We will cure diseases of the brain on ...

Letter: Inspired by professor Hal Rothman: Mr. Rothman reminds me of my history teacher I had when I was a child, and it is because of that history teacher I am pursuing an undergraduate degree in history. I will also be pursuing, in the future, a Ph.D. in history.

A MOMENT CAPTURED: By Tiffany Brown; "I wanted that room to be for Democrats, and to be for reflection and serious thought about policy, and I think that picture shows that," Senate Majority Leader Dina Titus said of the poster hanging in her conference room at the Legislature Building in Carson City. "It's a place where we support each other, and they're supporting one another. Nobody could look at that photo and not think of great Democrats."

Letter: Sending criminals to military not so cheap: The military will have to allocate more funds via its budget to cover the costs of housing and feeding these additional conscripts. In addition, if you're going to pay them a salary, the current military recruit receives approximately $1,200 a month plus food, housing, medical care, clothing (uniforms), etc. Add to the mix the disciplining of these nonviolent criminals.

CIRQUE GIVES BACK TO ARTS: By Kristen Peterson; With five successful shows on the Strip and a lineage to this city longer than many residents, Cirque du Soleil is now burrowing itself deep into the soul of Las Vegas.

Editorial: Overcrowded prisons a crisis: Glen Whorton, who is retiring later this month as the director of the Corrections Department, told the Legislature last week that because of extreme overcrowding, there is an urgent need for hundreds of temporary cells. He asked for $22.4 million, which would allow for the purchase of modular buildings that could be quickly set up at prison sites.

CARSON CITY: THE WEEK IN REVIEW: By J. Patrick Coolican; CARSON CITY - It began with protocol and pomp, and a history-making woman. By the end of the week, though, it was down to the laborious and sometimes dull work of hashing out legislation.

Jack Sheehan introduces newcomers to three giants who helped give the Las Vegas Valley the shape they see today: While it's true that the history of Las Vegas is but a grain of sand in time, especially compared to that of the ancient Rome of Cicero, our back story is still a fascinating saga of endurance and growth through equal measures of fantasy, greed, intelligence and foresight.

Editorial: Methamphetamine's toll: Testifying in front of a joint legislative committee, she said that methamphetamine "places a large toll not only on our communities and families but also our state and local agencies."

Letter: Raised f � �loor on gas price will set us free: Mr. Friedman undoubtedly knows more about the Middle East than 99 percent of the so-called experts in the Bush administration. I have great respect for his views and enjoy his columns that are published in the Las Vegas Sun. I disagree slightly with him on his gasoline tax, however. Our addiction to oil merely benefits the people who want to kill us.

Jon Ralston puts traffic, health care and education into proper perspective for the Legislature - after child welfare: By Jon Ralston; Some have been declaring the transportation infrastructure deficit as the obvious answer. Others say lower education. Still others might say finding a way to deal with access to health care.

Jeff Simpson on why it's unlikely the online gambling ban will be reversed: The poker players, online poker rooms and poker publishers hope that the recent changes in congressional leadership will prompt legislators to reverse the impact of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which caused the leading online poker room to stop taking action from Americans and made funding and withdrawing money from online poker accounts more cumbersome.

Brian Greenspun on how our tax savings bought us a dead end: If you don't have a clue what I am talking about, you haven't tried to cross town or, frankly, cross the street in your car lately. But, if you are like hundreds of thousands of people in Southern Nevada who have been fighting harder, taking longer and growing more and more frustrated with each blocked intersection, torn up street and nonsynchronous stop light, then you should understand exactly what that means.