Print
E-mail
Share
digg
Newsvine
Facebook
Stumble
Technorati
reddit
Fark
twitterSun editorial:
Nothing funny about it
Republican laughter about Reid’s bomb scare shows despicable lack of judgment
Friday, Oct. 30, 2009 | 2:07 a.m.
Metro Police determined in July 1981 that Harry Reid was the victim of an attempted homicide after bomb squad investigators found a wire that ran from the distributor of his Oldsmobile station wagon to its fuel tank. Having just served as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, Reid had plenty of unsavory enemies.
Somebody wanted him dead and might have succeeded had the car not experienced an electrical malfunction. After police responded, they reported that the wire job was more sophisticated than one that had been attempted earlier on a vehicle owned by another Nevada Gaming Commission member.
This was what life was like in the early 1980s in Las Vegas for those who dared to take on organized crime. Reid, who had been the state’s lieutenant governor before joining the Nevada Gaming Commission, was one of those individuals. The Las Vegas media obviously found that it was newsworthy, reporting on the bombing attempt when it occurred.
Now, 28 years later, conservative radio commentator Heidi Harris of KDWN is sharing on-air laughs as she questions the veracity of the attempted bombing. This past week Republican Senate candidate Sue Lowden and Gov. Jim Gibbons joined Harris in their attempts to trash Reid, a Nevada Democrat who is the U.S. Senate majority leader.
Reid, who noted the bomb scare in a campaign ad, is running for reelection next year. Potential challenger Lowden, a former state senator and ex-television newswoman, is showing early signs that she is not ready for prime time. Instead of doing any research, as one would expect from politicians and journalists, Lowden, Harris and Gibbons questioned the story as though Reid made it up.
Gibbons made an idiotic remark by stating his understanding that the car bomb was actually “a telephone book and a shoe box.”
There is no room in politics for the rumormongering fueled by Harris, Lowden and Gibbons. They owe Reid and all other Nevadans an apology for this character assassination.
Discussion: 44 comments so far…
Post a comment
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Pacquiao-Mayweather fight on, March date likely
- Court upholds sex conviction for Las Vegas magician
- Barrick Gold to work on mine despite court ruling
- UNLV president denies reports of Livengood as new AD
- Survey ranks Nevada among most unhappy states
- Rebels try to avoid the ‘trap’ at Santa Clara
- TUF 10 weigh-in: All fighters make weight, no Rampage
- Mandarin Oriental spa puts service first
- Rashad Evans says Rampage rivalry won’t fade
- Another potential buyer emerges for Fontainebleau
Blogs
Elsewhere
Dawn Gibbons' story: First lady talks about divorce, humiliation, fears (10 Comments)
The Kats Report
Kirk Kerkorian: CityCenter is 'simply the most amazing' Vegas project ever (6 Comments)
Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch
Great Santa Run: Unofficial 14,595 runners would be a new record
Elsewhere
Rampage Jackson to return to UFC (3 Comments)
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Superintendents want state to immediately seek Race to Top funds (1 Comment)
Top Chef: Las Vegas
The Jet Stream: The great Jennifer debate (2 Comments)
The Kats Report
From Eva Longoria Parker to a cluster of execs, crowd takes a shine to Crystals (9 Comments)
Calendar »
- 6 Sun
- 7 Mon
- 8 Tue
- 9 Wed
- 10 Thu
-
Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
The Strip | 5:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
-
George Strait and Reba McIntire at the MGM Grand Garden Arena
MGM Grand Garden Arena | 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
-
Randy Travis at the Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo Resort and Casino | 9:30 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Lee Greenwood at The Orleans
The Orleans Showroom | 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
-
The LoneStarlets at The Golden Nugget
Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino
-
Isaias Hiram Urrabazo in "A Sunday Afternoon with Friends"
Trinity International School | 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
"a wire that ran from the distributor to its fuel tank" .... and Reid immediately "noted the bomb scare in a campaign ad"
As the LV Sun noted the tacit had been used before and NEVER worked.
Thats right a loose wire in a car does not work.
Organized crime is more than capable to use a real bomb or bullet.
So Reid ran a campaign braging about a fake bomb threat.
Shows you how far Reid will go.
Did Reid's campiagn staff put the fake ruse in place?
There are a lot of questions that Reid needs to answer.
Paid for by the committee to re-elect Harry Reid. Harry Reid approves of this message.
Fellow Idiots: The above piece correctly shows Republicans for what they are - total and complete idiots full of disregard or respect for anything other than war and cash and their view of religion at any cost whatsoever at all. Eight years of CrimialBush and his tools says it all in the most complete picture possible. Thank You.
fosimmons:
Are you still voting a straight ticket?
Democrats will never question the Reid Hoax - better knows as wire attacks car and fails
Well, the police thought it was a real and serious threat, yet the usual crew here try to convince people smarter than they are that it was a hoax. How does it feel to be sociopathic and stupid Future,RHG, and fosimmons?
Mschaffer.
In 1981, the bomb squad was part of the fire department. Metro did not have a bomb squad, therefore, the POLICE did not think it was real. The fire department might of thought it was real but the POLICE did not. I would suggest knowing your facts before calling others stupid. Or if calling others stupid is something you enjoy, may I suggest a mirror?
blake,
How do you know this and should anyone believe you and even if true why would it invalidate that the threat was real and the attempt real?
From the article above:
"Metro Police determined in July 1981 that Harry Reid was the victim of an attempted homicide after bomb squad investigators found a wire that ran from the distributor of his Oldsmobile station wagon to its fuel tank. Having just served as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, Reid had plenty of unsavory enemies."
This suggests that blake has a reading comprehension problem and should stick to listening to right wing hate radio.
It's Bush's fault... fosimmons and his buddies on the left just can't let it go...
This is not an editorial. It's another attempt at the LV SUN to keep Reid's name out there for all to see...
Like RHG states: "Paid for by the committee to re-elect Harry Reid. Harry Reid approves of this message."
Although a police report dated July 29, 1981 clearly delineates an attempted homicide on the life of Harry Reid by someone attaching a wire from his car's electrical system to the gas tank, right wing extremists continue their tactics of simply lying and denying acknowleged facts.
Shouldn't Heidi Harris, Sue Lowden, and our "distinguished Governor" be taken to task for their attempt to cloud Reid's history. Why are political opponents allowed to lie without taking responsibility for their actions?
For his success in avoiding violence when his car was rigged to blow, I nominate Harry for the next Nobel Peace Prize.
And I nominate larry5 for the award for most vile attempt at humor.
I know, why bother with trivial matters such as the facts. However, one fact that stands is that the good people of Nevada will soon be ridding the country of Harry Reid for good. And that schaffer is one fact the Sun can't distort.
If Harry Reid is voted out of office it will just be one more proof of the stupidity of you and others like you.
schaffer. It's not if but when Reid is voted out of office. I'd suggest taking a look at the polls. By the way, I've noticed that you resort to personal attacks in all of your posts. You do recognize that is what people do when their arguments have no merit? Adios and goodbye Harry. How sweet it is!
Reid is staying right where he is and the GOP will send a joke to run against him ....kinda like the presidential race last year. They already know they have lost the election, why take it serious?
I started with facts you countered with assertions but no supporting documentation. Assertions are not facts therefore you are not to be believed. There are many posts I have made that have verifiable facts, it is just the people from the conservative side of the aisle who are contemptible and deserve no better response than I and others with the facts on our side give them.
Now do you want to pony up with supporting evidence and answer my original questions or do you want to continue evasive tactics?
I believe Harry rigged his own car - that explains why it failed to work properly. Two reasons why it failed - One is due to Harry's general ineptitude and the second is that he realized at the last minute that if he succeeded he might be dead.
But my opinion is biased, I'm just another racist. I'm sure the reality is that Bush is to blame.
Let's call in "Mythbusters" to check this one out!!! Can a vehicle be blown up by running a wire from the distributor to the gas tank? Inquiring minds want to know.....
Harry is gonna do or say anything he can to keep his wrinkled butt in office!Time to vote this fool out,and at the same time,keep his kid out too!
The right wingers care about the truth! They care about others. they show this by making jokes about an attempted bombing of a politician. The politician was fighting corruption against unsavory criminals. Reid should have let them corrupt him. That way the right wing would have something that would ruin his reputation. Unfortunately, Reid wasn't corrupted. So the Right Wing makes stupid jokes. HA,HA,HA! We hate Democrats! We have no ideas, except let us go back to the past. The demographics changed in the US and Nevada. This is why Reid will get reelected. Nevadans will not vote for a Beauty Queen or li'l Tark. Nevadans are not going to make the mistakes of the past. The GOP is morally bankrupt and insensitive to their fellow Americans. The people will not get fooled again!
mshaffer, did you live in Vegas back in '81?
Yea, you right wingers doubt Reid story of his car being wired. How sad you say...
And, you left wingers go ahead and believe there is a conspiracy that took down the twin towers on 9/11. How true you say...
Where was George Bush in 1981? How about Dick Cheney?
Burrittobandit2,
I have lived here minus four years in the Air Force since 1970, although because of that stint I wasn't in town in 1981. You can look up the .pdf of the report and this was no joking matter.
LarryVegas,
One of the participants in a group I run is a Libertarian and very strong conspiracy believer when it comes to 9/11. He is also against vaccinating his children. This is just to show that conspiracists come in all political stripes. Why Mark Levine even believes that the government is going to take over your air conditioning unit. What a nutcase!
mshaffer, I don't agree with a lot of your opions, but, my father served 30 years in the Air Forced. He flew EVAC, was a 1st Sgt, did 3 tours of Vietnam and I was a military brat. Kudos to you for serving in the military sir!!!!
Right wingers want to privatize this freaking country.
Everything, they have no idea what socialism is and still think it's a step to communism, what a joke. These people need to hit the books.
Hey mschaffer, I got an insert in my electric several times the last several months that offered to install a new high tech thermostat in our house for FREE. Only catch is that the utility company can monitor the temperature in our house and remotely change the thermostat to their desire. Of course, they say, they won't change the thermostat setting unless the grid is getting full or something.
mshaffer, you mentioned that you run some type of a group and one of the participants is a Libertarian and a very strong conspiracy believer about 9/11. Are you a psychologist? If so, that sort of explains why you post with some of us who are not playing with a full deck.
Schaffer : Why do you bother to comment when we are all "Fellow Idiots"? Harry Reid has done a lot of questionable unethical things in his public life. He has broken water rights rules and promises made to farmers, he has benefitted by all sorts of questionable funding sources and committed downright campaign funding violations . He has let his own state be dragged through the mud by the President he helped get elected.. shall I go on? No he doesn't deserve having some 70's mafia thug wire his gas tank, but the State of Nevada deserves better than the raw deal we're getting right now! We must hold Harry Reid and his kind responsible and remove them from office!
Larry, are you still a low IQ red state retard? I'm a low IQ burrito eating retard myself.
Hey Bandit... Yes I am still being told that I'm retarded because I have a hard time believing that everything that went wrong in this world for the past eight years and everything that goes wrong for the next three years are George Bush's fault.
Other than that, give me a burrito and a Bud light and I will be happy...
No it is very sad and most are mad as heck, they missed.
One can only dream for now that Reid will be gone one day. When this day occurs hopefully history repeats itself and number 2 and 3 follow.
All things happen in sync, 1, 2, and 3. When #3 happens, the party is on because 3 are done.
Destructive Mutt, the answer in short, is NO, the fuel/air mixture is too rich. It would require a detonator or other exciter.
Mschaffer, it is absolutely appalling that you resort to knee jerks, spasmotic name calling when anybody challenges your set "core" beliefs. Give it a rest.
One more thing, Global Warming is a hoax. Getting the juices flowing again, huh?
Well, the police thought it was a real and serious threat, yet the usual crew here try to convince people smarter than they are that it was a hoax. How does it feel to be sociopathic and stupid Future,RHG, and fosimmons?
_____________
Mshaffer, you can't even get this right.Fosimmons seems to agree with you so I wouldn't be throwing the word "stupid" around if I were you.
I don't post to sway any of the idiots here but to allow the more intelligent readers who might be swayed by a getalife or LarryVegas etc. to believe some of the nonsense they post.
getalife,
You, of course, can show there is a worldwide conspiracy of national science organizations as the source of your claim to a hoax? Especially since you require those organizations hoax to also be supported by thousands of other legitimate institutions right?
enviroprotector,
Please list just one item that supports your contention of questionable ethics and show supporting factual documentation. Let's explore how valid your claims are.
mschaffer, come on, get out of the basement and explore nature, it would do you good.
Global warming and the new PC, Climate change are bigger hoaxes than Harry Reid's bomb scare.
That guy is clinging to the Searchlight story like grim death. Let it go pinky, only fools fall for that sham.
That and ignorant Democrats.
mschaffer writes that I, LarryVegas, posts nonsense. Now that's just a bunch of nonsense...
I can't imagine anyone going thru the trouble and risk to put little harry on fire and fail. Back in the day,If your # was called that was it for the most part. Reid would be pushing up weeds if the so called attempt on his being were wanted,He was only 20 miles away from a dirt nap getaway or something equivalent. To the editor, Are you saying Reid has never lied and is above question? I think he gives "unsavory enemies" A bad name! Why are all these politian's given a free pass to wreck this once beautiful country,I guess it fall's on us.THE VOTER!
It was probably the same geniuses that tried to blow up Lefty Rosenthal..
Lefty Rosenthal survived an assassination attempt in 1982 after his car was rigged with explosives.
That was one year after Harry's report of his car being wired...
Maybe the guy who wired Harry's car, read a book and got it right on Lefty's car.
(AP) -- U.S. Sen. Harry Reid's campaign has released the police report from a 1981 attempted car bombing that lists the incident as an attempted homicide.
The two-page report released Wednesday followed criticism from one of Reid's Republican challengers, Sue Lowden, and Gov. Jim Gibbons.
Lowden, speaking with conservative Las Vegas radio host Heidi Harris last week, said she didn't recall the incident referenced in a campaign commercial by Reid, who was chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission at the time.
Gibbons, speaking on the same show Tuesday, said he understood the device was a "telephone book and a shoe box."
The police report said an electrical device found in the Reid family car was linked to the fuel tank "in an apparent attempt to ignite the fuel."
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/2009...
Maybe it's just me, but isn't it a little bit strange that Harry would still have a police report that dates back to 1981 readily available for the press?
Why would Reid, who noted the bomb scare in a campaign ad even bring it up unless he wanted mileage out of it...
So I guess fosimmons agrees with the Healthcare plan that is being pushed through by the Dems.Look at the Welfare system It was implemented and pushed through by the Dems in the 1960's and it was designed to give people a small assistance while the looked for work.How that has changed It created millions of lazy free loaders.I am sure it help yhe first recieptants but as time went on it created freeloaders who think hard working people owe them something.Now the Bonehead Dems want to create a healthcare bill to of set the freeloaders in ability the pay for healthcare.
Boy ih boy how smart liberals are and when they pass this bill and a few yers from now the Dems raise taxes to keep it going maybe you guys out there who support this garbage will think how uneducated to reality you really were.
getalife wrote nothing with facts in it.
For the rest of you:
http://www.ipcc.ch
http://www.realclimate.org