Spike Milligan is quoted as saying, “Money can’t buy you friends, but you do get a better class of enemy.”

This was before cyberspace, hard drives and Facebook. We now know it costs $630,000 – at least that’s what the U.S. Inspector General claims.

That’s what the U.S. Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) spent on two Facebook campaigns to increase its followers. The campaigns must have been successful as the IIP picked up 2 million new followers for each page — up from 100,000.

At last check, the actual number of likes for their page is somewhere between 70 and 75.  Most of those people who ‘like’ the IIP have names I can’t even pronounce.

That’s taxpayer money well spent.

The best way I can describe how it felt was like a heavy, wet, statically charged blanket rushing over, falling on, in and through me. At the time it not only frightened me, it left me instantly sick to my stomach and depressed.

After searching the Internet and asking a few locals about what they knew about Six-Mile Canyon’s history, I’ve heard only one story that fits in with what happened to me. That’s about Andrew Jackson “Big Jack” Davis, who owned a stable in Gold Hill, where business was good – but where being a bandit was better.

Captured after holding up a train near Verdi and jailed for five-years, he gained his released early because he didn’t participate in an escape from the Nevada State Prison, where 29 inmates busted out. That breakout remains the largest in Western history.

Shortly before being killed during a stage hold-up, “Big Jack” is said to have buried several thousand dollars in gold coins in Six-Mile Canyon.  As the website ‘Legends of America’ writes, “… legends abounds that the treasure is protected by the ghost of Jack Davis who appears as a…screaming phantom to scare the hunters away.”

Then there’s this from the magazine ‘Cowboys and Indians,’ August 2012 issue: “Among the legends chronicled…is that of Big Jack Davis…Shot in the back while robbing a stagecoach, Davis still protects his earthly treasures as the ‘Bandit Ghoul of Six Mile Canyon.’”  This story appears in ‘Haunted Old West: Phantom Cowboys, Spirit-Filled Saloons, Mystical Mine Camps, and Spectral Indians,’ by Matthew P. Mayo.

So go ahead – laugh, chalk it up to aliens, hysteria or sun-stroke – others are. Besides, I’m starting to find some humor in it myself.

Let’s be done with it. I’ve been trying to think of how to say this and not sound like I’m completely off my rocker, but I think I was attacked by a Spirit in Six-Mile Canyon near Virginia City.

After parking my truck, I walked in further, following an animal trail. My intent was to snap a few photographs of the rugged terrain as the sun began to disappear.

The first time I realized I wasn’t alone was when I saw a shadow move over my head. I saw it out of the corner of my left eye and turned to my right to watch it fade behind a grouping of rocks.

My first thought was that I was simply imagining things; my second thought was perhaps a mountain lion. So, I stood there for a couple of minutes to see if the big cat would reappear.

It didn’t, instead I heard the clattering of stone behind me. I turned to where I thought the noise had come – and was met instead by a large, black mass that overwhelmed me.

It struck so quickly, that I had no time to react to it. Instead, I fell backwards and down the small pile of tailings I’d been standing on.

Contact with this mass left me feeling sick to my stomach, sad and very afraid. I didn’t wait for it to come back – I simply got to my feet and took off running back down the trail I’d jus’ come from.

By this time my panic was overwhelming me and I was fumbling with my keys. I could also hear whatever it was behind me – not only did it sound like it was running after me, it also make a shrieking like I’ve never heard.

Once in my truck, I fired the engine up and backed out of the area as far as I could; only turning around when I thought it was safe. I was very happy when my truck-tires found the surface of State Route 341’s asphalt.

Only when I got home and started downloading my pictures to my computer, did it come to me that I had taken jus’ one picture while in the canyon. That was of a bunch of obsidian shards, left I supposed by Indians years ago.

Maybe I dragged something along with me from the Virginia City Cemetery, which I had jus’ finished photographing. While I’m still not sure what happened to me, I do know this– I won’t be returning anytime soon.

It’s a disappointment to know that the media is so focused on destroying Paula Deen, while ignoring the Obama administration. The same same-stream media has also given a free pass to Alec Baldwin for his homophobic rant on Twitter.

”Put my foot up your f**king ass, George Stark, but I’m sure you’d dig it too much,” he tweeted after Stark, a UK reporter, made some sort of allegations about Baldwin’s wife. Silence from Progressives’ speaks for itself.

Using the same standards it did on Deen, Wal-Mart should pull all the CD’s of rap-artist that use the same word Deen used in the 60’s. But it won’t.

Furthermore, Capital One should have cut it’s ties with Baldwin as should NBC which airs the TV show, “30 Rock.” Again silence from the Progressives.

Homosexuals should be outraged at Baldwin’s comments — but they don’t seem to care.

It appears the real cost of Obamacare is catching finally catching on. Texas Senator Ted Cruz introduced a letter to the U.S. Senate from Alan Tharp, Chairman and CEO of Old England’s Lion and Rose, LTD in San Antonio.

“Because of this law,” Tharp writes, “I have been forced to cut back every single hourly employee in each of my companies to no more than 28 hours a week.”

Ouch!

And I mean that personally, as I’m experiencing the same situation at my job. The broadcast company I work for cannot afford to have full-time hourly employees because they have a bottom-line to meet.

Under Obamacare – ‘full-time’ is defined as 30-hours or more.

So to avoid getting fined for not signing employees up for the federal healthcare program, they are forced to cut back on work-hours. It’s either that or pay the minimum penalty of $95 per person beginning in 2014 in 2014, the first year that the law will require individuals to obtain coverage.

That amount will rise to $325 in 2015 year and once fully phased in by 2016, the minimum amount jumps to $695 per person. And don’t forget the ‘tax’ increases each year beginning in 2017 because of inflation.

With 5,500 full time employees across the country, the company I work for is looking at a start up cost of over $500,000 next year. When it’s fully implemented the cost skyrockets to nearly $4,000,000 annually.

So in jus’ under six and half year’s time – I’ve gone from 40 hours a week to a paltry 28 hours. I take solace in knowing I’ll not be alone though, you’ll soon be joining me – if you haven’t already.

What’s a workaholic to do?

It appears the real cost of Obamacare is catching finally catching on. Texas Senator Ted Cruz introduced a letter to the U.S. Senate from Alan Tharp, Chairman and CEO of Old England’s Lion and Rose, LTD in San Antonio.

“Because of this law,” Tharp writes, “I have been forced to cut back every single hourly employee in each of my companies to no more than 28 hours a week.”

Ouch!

And I mean that personally, as I’m experiencing the same situation at my job. The broadcast company I work for cannot afford to have full-time hourly employees because they have a bottom-line to meet.

Under Obamacare – ‘full-time’ is defined as 30-hours or more.

So to avoid the fine for not putting employees on the federal healthcare program, they’re forced to cut back on work-hours. It’s either that, or pay the $95 penalty per person starting next year.

That amount will rise to $325 in 2015 year and once fully phased in by 2016, the amount jumps to $695 per person. And don’t forget the ‘tax’ increases each year beginning in 2017 because of inflation.

With 5,500 full-time employees across the country, the company I work for is looking at a start-up cost of over $500,000 next year. When it’s fully implemented, the cost skyrockets to nearly $4,000,000 annually.

So in jus’ under six and half year’s time – I’ve gone from 40 hours a week to a paltry 28 hours. I take solace in knowing I’ll not be alone though, you’ll soon be joining me – if you haven’t already.

What’s a workaholic to do?

A couple of months ago I commented to a friend, “The networks is softening us up or something with all these shows about polygamy in the last few years.”

This was in reaction to the latest called, “Polygamy, USA,” offered up by National Geographic. It follows shows like, “Sister Wives,” and the popular HBO series, “Big Love.”

So imagine my surprise, when I heard Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said the recent Supreme Court rulings on gay-marriage created the possibility for legalized polygamy. But, it was radio talk-show host Glenn Beck who said it while speaking with Paul.

“If you change one variable, man and a woman to man and man, and woman and woman,” Beck said, “you cannot logically tell me you can’t change the other variable: one man, three women, one woman, four men,”

He later added speaking of Sharia law in the U.S., “If I’m a devout Muslim and I come over here and I have three wives, who are you to say if I’m an American citizen, that I can’t have multiple marriages?”

In the end, polygamy is being mainstreamed. Seems Beck and I have drawn the same conclusion, though we came to it via different routes.

The Supreme Court’s confusing rulings now extend federal recognition to same-sex marriages in the states where they are legal. The twin rulings have no direct effect on the constitutional amendments in the 29 states that limit marriage to heterosexual couples.

As for the ‘Defense of Marriage Act,’  the court ruled against the part denying benefits to legally married gay couples, only. Same-sex couples, under federal law, will now, as a result of the ruling, be considered “married.”  The provision affects 1,100 federal laws, ranging from veterans’ benefits to complex federal tax laws.

So, the fight is nowhere near being over.

The City of Goldfield became a modern metropolis with the arrival of electricity and water hookups. Real estate in those early days was going at $210 a foot, a hefty price in 1905.

Another rich discovery in 1906 boosted the prices even higher, with lots selling for as much as $45,000. The city had everything except enough water, and the threat of fire was extreme.

A 12,000-gallon water tank was constructed on a hill south of town from which a 3-inch pipeline was laid to serve the residences, businesses and a lone fire hydrant in the downtown area. The pipeline and hydrant would be tested on March 4, 1905, when a gas lamp exploded near the Nye and Ormsby Bank, quickly spreading to Dunn’s Saloon and a nearby store.

There, the fire was stopped, thanks to the pipeline. The city wouldn’t be so lucky the next time.

The county commissioners banned the storage of explosives within the town and restricted the sale of gasoline. They also ordered a hose cart and other firefighting equipment.

But it was too little too late.

Jus’ four months later on July 8, a fire broke out in the Bon Ton Millinery. Volunteer firefighters arrived within moments, only to find the hydrant had no pressure.

Residents in the area, fearful that the flames would reach them, began filling all the containers they could find, depleting the water supply.

But an improbable hero came to the rescue: Bert Ulmer of the Little Hub Saloon arrived on the scene with an unlikely fire suppressant — two large kegs of beer. He and bartender Frank Heaton soaked blankets and sheets in the beer, then nailed them to the walls of surrounding businesses.

Meanwhile, volunteers saved a restaurant by throwing buckets of the brew on it. Soon other saloons did their part, contributing both kegs and bottles, the latter being used to quench the thirst of the tired firefighters.

The beer brigade was successful, and within an hour, the fire was contained.

Senator Dean Heller voted to add a $38 billion border security measure to the immigration reform bill, clearing the way for easier passage of the legislation. The amendment doubles the number of Border Patrol agents, adds 350 more miles of fence, invest in drones, radar and other surveillance equipment to help detect illegal border crossings.

Heller still isn’t saying how he’ll vote on the overall bill. Perhaps it’s because of a provision in the bill allowing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to not build the fence at all.

“Notwithstanding paragraph (1), nothing in this subsection shall require the Secretary to install fencing, or infrastructure that directly results from the installation of such fencing, in a particular location along the Southern border, if the Secretary determines that the use or placement of such resources is not the most appropriate means to achieve and maintain effective control over the Southern border at such location.”

Illegal aliens would also be granted legalized Registered Provisional Immigration status once Napolitano submits a fencing plan to Congress, though she an choose not to put the fencing plan into effect. It’s 1986 all over again.

But hey — at least Heller got Nevada a seat on the Southern Border Security Commission, despite the fact that the state doesn’t share a border with Mexico.