The Good, The Bad, The Spin

He had just gotten off of a plane after a 14-hour ride and was hauled away in handcuffs.

“The worst part was having to walk past my fiancé in handcuffs. She had no idea what was happening and neither did I! When I was finally told that I was arrested on charges of rape, I about passed out!”

These are the words of Poison drummer Rikki Rockett, who announced late last week that he was officially exonerated of rape charges. After being accused of the crime–he wasn’t in the state where the alleged crime occurred–Rockett issued a statement:

“I received undying support from my band, friends, and fans, but unfortunately, my detractors had a field day with the story. I look forward to serving the press who created defamatory remarks some healthy lawsuits! I also look forward to helping other people who have been falsely accused of committing heinous crimes. My lawyers, Barry Tarlow and Mi Kim, are helping me seek out organizations like Centurion Ministries to help if I can. This wonderful organization works to free innocent people in prison who have done serious time for crimes they did not commit.”

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How wild horse advocates spin-doctor a volatile issue and spread misinformation

They are one of Nevada’s most misunderstood attributes. From long eyelashes in Disney movies to the ongoing anthropomorphic attitudes expressed by all stripes of mostly well-intentioned folks, Nevada’s wild horses are universally admired. They are also endlessly mired in controversy.

This is to be expected. As our “backyard pets,” that appear essentially harmless and carefree, it is easy to understand why people would be offended as the suggestion of removal of horses from rangelands—or human interference of any kind.

These good intentions are driven by emotion and passion, which frequently step in the way of reason and the desire to seek out science-based knowledge of the issue, especially if such information ends up unpleasant or contradictory to one’s beliefs. Nothing exemplifies this more than the uproar recently stirred when none other than Willie Nelson and Snoop Dog recorded audio commercials urging people to call Nevada’s governor to “intervene on behalf of our wild horses.” (more…)

Yesterday could have been fun. One of what is bound to be many wildfires this summer started up just behind my house, about 45 minutes from where I work. It started ironically right about the time that I was on the phone with a reporter discussing one of Nevada’s greatest environmental threats: fire.

Despite my sideline preaching to the few who will listen, issues such as mercury, arsenic, air pollution from cars, mines and so on, while important, aren’t nearly as critical as the issue of why there are so many wildfires in the state, how the situation came to be as it is and, most critically, what is likely not going to be done about it. (more…)