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Sunday Morning News and Open Thread

By Jeralyn

Here's what's caught my eye this morning:

• Behind Bars, Sort Of....Can a prison have glass walls, balconies, communal cooking spaces and private bathrooms — and still be a prison? (NY Times Magazine) The answer: Yes, but not in the U.S. Europe is so much more enlightened. In addition to Austria, as I wrote last week, there's France.

• Unlikely heroin confession: Researcher reveals past as an addict to encourage new tactics in war on drugs (Chicago Tribune)

• Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman may run for Governor of Nevada, as an Independent. Oscar is a long-time hero of mine. As I've been saying since 2002, Run, Oscar, Run!

[More...]

I know Oscar is having more fun being mayor than he has had doing anything else-- he is positively gleeful every time I see him. With his boundless ingenuity, good governance and gregarious personality, I fully expect he'll be Governor of Nevada one day.

In 2007, Oscar won by a landslide, with the AP reporting:

Oscar Goodman, a former mob lawyer and self-proclaimed "happiest mayor in the world," breezed to a third term as mayor of Las Vegas. The Democrat won 84 percent of Tuesday's vote with all precincts reporting, easily avoiding a June run-off. His nearest competitor had just 2,170 votes to Goodman's 26,845.

Oscar's only disappointed me once, in 2005.

He appeared on television and advocated that graffiti artists have their thumbs amputated on public television as punishment. Then he advocated caning as punishment for children who misbehave.

`I'm dead serious,'' said Goodman, adding, ``Some of these (children) don't learn. You have got to teach them a lesson, and this is coming from a criminal defense lawyer.'' ``They would get a trial first,'' he added.

I'm hoping he made these comments after one too many of his infamous martinis.

Seriously, Oscar would make a great Governor. He's smart as a whip, is a master of strategy as well as legal stuff, and he can solve problems. He's socially conscious with a charming and exuberant personality. He has a great family, and a truly deep and abiding affinity for the underdog. Let's face it, we're all underdogs in this economy.

If you'd like to see Oscar make the decision to run (and I know many criminal defense lawyers reading this site will), I have a way for you to make him pay attention to your request. Send him a letter, that says, Run, Oscar, Run! inside a package filled with Tootsie Rolls, the bigger the better. It's his favorite candy. He particularly loves the foot long ones, but will eat them no matter what size they are. His kitchen is filled with them. Nevada couldn't get a better Governor than Oscar, so please, cheer him on.

In 2007, Oscar won by a landslide, with the AP reporting:

Oscar Goodman, a former mob lawyer and self-proclaimed "happiest mayor in the world," breezed to a third term as mayor of Las Vegas. The Democrat won 84 percent of Tuesday's vote with all precincts reporting, easily avoiding a June run-off. His nearest competitor had just 2,170 votes to Goodman's 26,845.

Oscar's only disappointed me once, in 2005.

He appeared on television and advocated that graffiti artists have their thumbs amputated on public television as punishment. Then he advocated caning as punishment for children who misbehave.

`I'm dead serious,'' said Goodman, adding, ``Some of these (children) don't learn. You have got to teach them a lesson, and this is coming from a criminal defense lawyer.'' ``They would get a trial first,'' he added.

I'm hoping he made these comments after one too many of his infamous martinis.

Seriously, Oscar would make a great Governor. He's smart as a whip, is a master of strategy as well as legal stuff, and he can solve problems. He's socially conscious with a charming and exuberant personality. He has a great family, and a truly deep and abiding affinity for the underdog. Let's face it, we're all underdogs in this economy.

If you'd like to see Oscar make the decision to run (and I know many criminal defense lawyers reading this site will), I have a way for you to make him pay attention to your request. Send him a letter, that says, Run, Oscar, Run! inside a package filled with Tootsie Rolls, the bigger the better. It's his favorite candy. He particularly loves the foot long ones, but will eat them no matter what size they are. His kitchen is filled with them. Nevada couldn't get a better Governor than Oscar, so please, cheer him on.

If you are in Las Vegas, he holds a bi-monthly coffee klatch with residents at places like Whole Foods or Lucas Cafe, so you can meet and bring him a tootsie roll there. His schedule is here.

Here's how to contact him:

Mayor Oscar Goodman
City Hall, Tenth Floor
400 Stewart Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89101 (Map)
Phone: (702) 229-6241
Fax: (702) 385-7960

What are you following today? This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on June 14, 2009 (boomark / email).