Syzdekistan

Check out this great review about a documentary of one of Las Vegas’ most influential and fascinating citizens.

Let’s see … Israeli independence, McCarthy, civil rights, the mafia, Howard Hughes, Watergate … have I missed anything? Probably — he was a crusader against the IRS, he tried to help broker a Middle East peace pact, he owned TV and radio stations here in Las Vegas, and he basically bought up all the land between the Strip and a sleepy little burg called Henderson, the area now known as Green Valley and my back yard.

After seeing the film, I couldn’t help but think that Hank Greenspun in a way was a real-life Forrest Gump, except he wasn’t a passive observer at so many key points in American history. He actually affected it. It’s hard to say how this world would be different if Hank Greenspun hadn’t made that long drive from New York to Las Vegas, but one thing I know for sure — I wouldn’t be sitting here typing this if he hadn’t.

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