When Las Vegas osteopathic physician James Carpenter was named by Gov. Brian Sandoval in October to the Nevada Athletic Commission, it looked like just another gubernatorial appointment.
But in his Sunday column for The Nevada Independent, KNPR contributor John L. Smith raised the question of whether the osteopath -- who has been sanctioned by a state medical board during his career -- should be on the board.
“The question is whether a guy, who has violated regulations in the past and has problematic litigation history in his professional life, whether he ought to be serving on another state board. That was the question I went to ask and then found that the answers weren’t really forth coming.”
Smith is concerned about the credibility of the Nevada Athletic Commission and how serious the job it does is being taken.
"The commission oversees boxing events. It also stands in judgment of boxers accused of violations of commission rules. This is the commission that only a few years ago had a $900,000 sanction against a boxer for testing positive for marijuana. They can throw their weight around.”
The Bundy Trial:
The first of the three trials connected to the armed standoff at the Bundy Ranch in Bunkerville took the week off. It was a planned break in the action between the prosecution's case and the start of the defense.
“The prosecution did rest its case on Thursday. It was a fascinating little end to what was a really, really voluminous presentation.”
One of the most interesting parts of the prosecution's case came from Long Bow Productions, which was actually a front for FBI agents. The agents were able to get some of the suspects in the case to talk about the standoff.
“It is one of those swords that cuts two ways. For one of the suspects, the interview went very poorly because his animus towards the government kind of poured out. There were questions raised there that didn’t help him a bit. However, for other defendants – and remember there has been a lot of prosecution evidence presented, a lot material presented to date – there was kind of a humanizing element to the interview.”
Smith points out that in a way the interviews gave the suspects a chance to testify in court without being subjected to cross examination.
When court resumes, the defense will present its case and that is expected to take a week.
The passing of Vincent Falcone:
The legendary musician worked with Frank Sinatra, which Smith points out makes him both extremely professional and patient.
“He’s a reminder that there is a generation of Las Vegas musicians who are largely fading because technology has changed and tastes have changed but these are the best of the best in the country and they came to Las Vegas to work as musicians. On the Strip, they had plenty of work for a very long time. “
John L. Smith, contributor
