In a state known for it’s conservative bent particularly up north, Nevada churches provide a respite of progressive thought none better exemplified than by the First United Methodist Church in downtown Reno. Reverend John Auer makes plain this congregation’s overarching concern for the welfare of children and message of tolerance for the large number of mostly Hispanic immigrants that wash the dishes, work in the casinos, tend the lawns and flip the burgers in Reno. 

It was no accident that Reno was selected as the site for immigration police that hunted down and arrested Gestapo style, 54 undocumented McDonalds employees two weeks ago, locking them up, leaving their children and families in chaos and causing an outcry throughout the community. The First United Methodist Church was a perfect locale for an interdenominational forum on Friday decrying the intolerance and bigotry manifest by the immigration sweep of poor folks who came here to work for minimum wage, raise a family and pay their taxes. 

So I attended the forum, not in the guise of Oreo Wrangler, but to introduce myself to this progressive faith-based community and in the process was invited to bring our cookies and message to the church on Sunday. The service was all about children and our positive message was perfectly in synch on a gorgeous sunny day where one could try and see past the undercurrent of intolerance that imbues the “immigration” issue so heavily politicized.

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350 of Reno’s activists put on their finery for the Washoe County Democrats’ Virginia Demmler Honor Roll extravaganza at the Local 226 Culinary Workers represented Grand Sierra Resort and Casino. With one exception, yours truly, who wore his OreoMobile uniform—Priorities! campaign budget pie chart union bug t-shirt and jeans. But I had the cookies, Frisbees, budget flag pens and budget pie pins for dispensation, so nobody cared what I wore. And why did I love that place? Well, because there is a reason why the establishment has “resort” in the nomenclature preceding “casino.” They actually have a huge bar near the entrance that doesn’t have the ubiquitous video gambling thing embedded in front of every seat; that the acres of slot machines are located away from the entrance (and that bar) dimming the incessant dinging, and with no gaming in your face, there are no clouds of second hand smoke choking the view.

Not that I have any problem with gambling because I do have fun betting my last hard earned dollar in Nevada and am certain that just one more hand will allow me to break even. Really! The OreoMobile tour is nearly over and all I need is a good spin on the roulette table to pay for all this fun. Or maybe the progressive dollar slots I am told actually paid some guy from China 3 ½ million dollars a few weeks ago at McCarran airport.

And anyway, I got to park the OreoMobile on the veranda next to the steps leading into the Grand Sierra theater with the sunset illuminating the freshly painted golden Oreos that glowed like some unnatural thermonuclear event, which occurred with regularity a few decades ago in the Nevada desert just 60 miles north of Las Vegas.

Photos below the fold.

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Gotta love the UUs!  The OreoMobile gave a rousing presentation at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada on Sunday to a great crowd at this progressive faith based congregation. Cookies were dispensed and appreciated, along with budget pie frisbees and pens. Beforehand, the question arose, why are you preaching to the choir? The answer came in the presentation—not only is the choir astonished by the huge disparities in federal budget spending and only one comparison is the $2.5 billion spent on energy independence in contrast to the $500 billion by the Pentagon (not including the occupation of Iraq). 

But just as importantly, the Priorities! campaign has a plan and there is pending legislation that would move some of that money wasted on obsolete weapons, making dreams come true for states and local communities. We empower Nevadans to help attain those goals—by signing up, we make it easy to contact Congress. And by attending the Nevada caucuses they can give invaluable support to the candidates that support the Priorities! budget.

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The OreoMobile and Governor Bill Richardson were in Pahrump, NV Sunday at a well-attended rally where Richardson made the usual remarks about how one was to pronounce the city’s name. It really couldn’t be just the way it’s spelled—there must be some trick? But in this paradigm of an exurb that didn’t have telephone service until the 1960’s, Richardson cruised through his remarks like a townie feeling at home with these rural voters. 

Pahrump suffers a legacy of sickness and death among the thousands of atomic workers engaged over the years at the nearby pockmarked moonscape cratered Nevada Test Site where 900 underground and 100 open air tests were conducted.. Richardson remarked that Paducah, KY (aka “Atomic City”) as well was suffering from the legacy of work first, safety last in those head-strong days during the Cold-War where plenty was known about the dangers and how to protect workers, but expediency and lack concern for health and safety was the rule.

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Nothing like a few Oreos and a lot of budget pens and Frisbees to get the word out to 150 activists, labor, party and campaign officials about the Priorities! campaign.

The Clark County Democratic Party (Las Vegas) held a hugely successful monthly meet at the International Laborer’s union hall, chaired by the new party head, John Hunt. Didn’t hurt that self-described “only candidate from the west” Governor Bill Richardson made an appearance as the first of three campaign stops that day in the Las Vegas area. If you assume “Pahrump” is in the vicinity.

Richardson talked up his extensive foreign policy experience and western state roots to the crowd but got the greatest response from his promise that once in office, he would bring every US soldier home from Iraq in 6-9 months. He distinguished his plan from the other Democratic candidates that propose partial withdrawal on a much slower timetable leaving leave tens of thousands in Iraq…to do who knows what? Cower in Baghdad bunkers in the green zone? Train the unwilling to be trained Iraqi forces that have no interest in fighting America’s war for Iraqi oil (duh) or protecting an unpopular US puppet government in shambles?

Pics below the fold.

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The Doolittle Community Center north of downtown was Obama’s latest foray into the West for a self-described “town hall” meeting that for Obama, means 2,000 screaming Obamaphiles in a gymnasium, standing room only. The crowd was driven to near frenzy as the music volume rose in anticipation of the Senator’s late appearance. And there he was, rock star retinue and all to a standing ovation and crush to the center for some hand shaking. The usual stump speech with a few zingers about how decades of “Washingtonian experience” ala Bush and Cheney was not the experience American people were looking for.

Priorities! pies were seen throughout the crowd and while the Senator did not speak to reducing obsolete weapons or Pentagon spending, he did take one of our infamous budget pens, saying “I’ve got one, no five of these.” (Only five?) And my retort, “The Priorities! campaign welcomes you back to Nevada.”

Baby knows best at the Obama Town Hall Forum in Las Vegas

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Senator Chris Dodd gets his first budget pie Frisbee in Nevada

Presidential candidate Senator Chris Dodd stopped off in Reno this morning to receive the International Association of Fire Fighters endorsement. Of course, the OreoMobile and Priorities! campaign were there to greet him along with some three dozen local firefighters and a couple of really big fire trucks.

As I gave Senator Dodd one our Priorities! federal budget Frisbees, he exclaimed, “I already have 150 of these!” But now he’s got one from Nevada. We are everywhere. The staffers asked for budget pie cookies which I was told they are hoarding and rely on for sustenance during travel from one early primary/caucus state to another. “Do I look like Cookie Mom?” But I had Oreos to dispense and they left happy and fulfilled on their way to Las Vegas.

~Aaron, Oreo Wrangler

Well, we started off the Priorities! Nevada campaign this morning with a bang. The OreoMobile along with 100 or more raucous folks from a wide variety of anti-war groups greeted George W. Bush at the American Legion convention here in Reno. Present at the festive occasion included the Molly Ivans Pots and Pans Brigade, a 12’ tall Uncle Sam on stilts, war veterans, Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, students, lots of seniors and many others.

Bush beat the drums of war against Iran in his widely covered speech before the veterans group as American troops raised the stakes by seizing a group of Iranian nationals from the Sheraton Ishtar Hotel in Baghdad. The BBC reported that Iranian embassy officials said the men were experts in rebuilding electric power stations. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/6967850.stm

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The OreoMobile is in Reno!  On a 6 week whirlwind tour of this all important early caucus state. Event schedule to be determined.

~Aaron

The OreoMobile is in Laramie, Wyoming ensconced for the evening with 907.89 miles to go–tomorrow. I knew something was up with the accelerator pedal pressed to the floor for ten minutes straight and never able to go faster than 65 mph. Darkness concealed that we had climbed to over 7,000 feet above sea level and the van must be getting about 6 mpg. After filling the tank for at least the 4th time today, I noticed a worrisome vibration emanating from the drive train and just west of here, I-80 rises to 11,000 feet–which I’m loathe to risk at 2 o’clock in the morning.

So knock on wood, the OreoMobile will cure itself overnight and I’ll do a mad dash to Reno. Too tired to write much but for the 3 people reading this, I’ll post some photos of today’s travels.

Yes, the OreoMobile was in Iowa–for about 6 hours and some badly needed rest just across the Missouri River from Nebraska City

This afternoon. No time to stop, have a long way to go.

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