Update: It looks as though Gibbons has muffed two new appointments to the Nevada Gaming Commission, replacing outgoing commissioners who include a banker with two additional lawyers ... who now comprise 80% of the commission. Nevada law specifies that "preferably" no more than two members of the same profession sit on the NGC simultaneously.

Maybe we can't take any more bad news. Or we're collectively strung out from all the CityCenter Sturm und Drang. For whatever reason, the news wires have been relatively (blessedly?) quiet today.

"I'm J. Terrence Lanni and I approved this governor."

Fortunately, God's gift to gadflies just keeps on giving. I'm talking, of course, about Nevada's utterly unique Gov. Jim Gibbons, another of J. Terrence Lanni's parting gifts to the people of the Silver State. Whenever you think his latest pronouncement has taken the cake, he goes it one better.

In descending order of importance, Midnight Jim's baffling proposal to basically scotch the Nevada Tourism Commission is getting backhanded by the Lege. 'Cause if there's one thing Nevada doesn't need right now it's tourists, but those darned lawmakers just don't get it.

Sarcasm aside, I was happy to see the RV park at Circus Circus packed like a sardine tin this weekend. No matter how difficult we make it for them sometimes, people keep on coming, bless their hearts ... or wallets, as the case may be.

(The Nevada Film Commission, from which Gibbons was going to pull the plug, also got a legislative reprieve. S&G was with the guv on that one.)

Case in point, the room-tax hike that kicks in -- with "kick" being the operative word -- this July. Midnight Jim has been going out of way to let people know that, even if he didn't lift a pinky to oppose it, that tax increase is no fault of his. Nope, it was "the people of Nevada" who done it. He didn't want to put that tax money into his budget (which he did) but we forced it upon the helpless man. Well, not me personally -- I voted against the tax hike -- but you heartless, tax-loving, Gibbons-burdening bastards know who you are. Midnight Jim has been reduced to wailing, "I used those revenues to my benefit, but I did not propose any tax increase." Damn that vox populi!

It got even funnier last week, when Gibbons was asked about oncoming primary challenges from fellow GOP-ers North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon and Dr. Joe Heck. Suffice it to say, this came as news to the current occupant of the governor's mansion. Confronted with the information, Midnight Jim huffed, "I think you've mischaracterized their interest in running for governor."

The next governor of Nevada will by definition be more competent ... but we're sure going to miss the regular episodes of Theatre of the Absurd that are acted out in Carson City.