97°F
weather icon Clear

Sex is the least interesting aspect of the Ensign adultery story

If a showing of hands at a luncheon meeting is any indication, Las Vegas women are tired of stories about U.S. Sen. John Ensign’s infidelity.

The ladies of the Las Vegas Towne Club are a fun-loving group who like to have lunch at a new restaurant every month and hear from a speaker. On Tuesday, as I often do, I started my talk with a question for them. I asked how many were tired of the Ensign story and how many still had unanswered questions.
 
My expectation was that more would say they were tired of the story. But I didn’t expect the overwhelming lack of interest.

Out of 75 Southern Nevada women of all ages, less than 10 percent were still interested. (There were gasps from the other women when one elderly member asked: “What John Ensign story?”) Thankfully, I hadn’t planned to talk about Ensign, although I anticipated there might be questions about him.
 
One woman in the minority told me later she wants to know more about Ensign’s affiliation with “The Family,” the religious group that owns the house that Ensign lives in when he’s in Washington, D.C.

Sorry Ladies, I can’t promise I’ll quit writing about Ensign, because now it’s a story about money (the propriety and legality of Ensign’s parents paying $96,000 to the family of his mistress) and religion (Ensign’s ties with a secretive religious group of men who believe they are “chosen” by God).

There must still be some interest. There are 66 people waiting behind me to read the library copy of “The Family” by Jeff Sharlet. Sharlet investigated the group of elite and powerful Christian fundamentalists, a group that includes Ensign, and if the book is accurate, sex is now the least interesting part of the Ensign story. The affair is trumped by money, religion and power.
 

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Cab riders experiencing no-shows urged to file complaints

If a cabbie doesn’t show, you must file a complaint. Otherwise, the authority will keep on insisting it’s just not a problem, according to columnist Jane Ann Morrison. And that’s not what she’s hearing.

Are no-shows by Las Vegas taxis usual or abnormal?

In May former Las Vegas planning commissioner Byron Goynes waited an hour for a Western Cab taxi that never came. Is this routine or an anomaly?

Columnist shares dad’s story of long-term cancer survival

Columnist Jane Ann Morrison shares her 88-year-old father’s story as a longtime cancer survivor to remind people that a cancer diagnosis doesn’t necessarily mean a hopeless end.

Las Vegas author pens a thriller, ‘Red Agenda’

If you’re looking for a good summer read, Jane Ann Morrison has a real page turner to recommend — “Red Agenda,” written by Cameron Poe, the pseudonym for Las Vegan Barry Cameron Lindemann.

Las Vegas woman fights to stop female genital mutilation

Selifa Boukari McGreevy wants to bring attention to the horrors of female genital mutilation by sharing her own experience. But it’s not easy to hear. And it won’t be easy to read.

Biases of federal court’s Judge Jones waste public funds

Nevada’s most overturned federal judge — Robert Clive Jones — was overturned yet again in one case and removed from another because of his bias against the U.S. government.

Don’t forget Jay Sarno’s contributions to Las Vegas

Steve Wynn isn’t the only casino developer who deserves credit for changing the face of Las Vegas. Jay Sarno, who opened Caesars Palace in 1966 and Circus Circus in 1968, more than earned his share of credit too.

John Momot’s death prompts memories of 1979 car fire

Las Vegas attorney John Momot Jr. was as fine a man as people said after he died April 12 at age 74. I liked and admired his legal abilities as a criminal defense attorney. But there was a mysterious moment in Momot’s past.