Having recovered from consuming our weight in turkey and trimmings (and that is no small feat, we must say!) we at Various Things & Stuff are back with a few post-Thanksgiving Quick Hits. Eat them before they spoil!

» If you didn’t already suspect Gov. Kenny Guinn doesn’t think Gov.-elect Jim Gibbons is up to the job, last week should have removed all doubt. If it wasn’t bad enough that Guinn put all-day kindergarten into his budget — thus saddling Gibbons with a program to which he objects — Guinn appointed his chief of staff, Keith Munro, to the Gaming Control Board!

Previous governors told the Review-Journal that they consulted with their successors during their lame-duck periods. (Former Gov. Bob Miller said he actually asked Guinn who to appoint, figuring those people had to serve under the new governor.) But we’re guessing Guinn lost Gibbons’ phone number before he put Munro on one of the most powerful boards in the state, and thus denied Gibbons a chance to select his own man for the slot.

Meanwhile, Gibbons’ new director of communications, Brent Boynton, told the R-J in that same story that Gibbons was not available to comment (no surprise) and that he "…had not yet formulated his priorities going forward."

Um, what?

You mean to tell us that Gibbons, who will become governor in exactly 36 days, has no idea what he’s going to do? What programs he wants to fund, or which he wants to cut money from? What initiatives he wants to pursue? Nothing?

Either Boynton is seriously misinformed, or he’s being upfront and we’re totally screwed.

Then again, we shouldn’t be surprised. Usually, a politician formulates his or her priorities before a campaign for office, puts those ideas forward and debates them during the course of the election. But Gibbons mostly spent time ducking primary debates, beating up on state Sen. Dina Titus by saying she’d raise taxes, and promising to make sure the state "lives within its means." A road map to his ideas it was not.

So, just more than a month away from inauguration day, and even the new governor has no idea of what he wants to do. Is it too late to ask Guinn to stick around a little while longer? Say, four years or so?

» One aspect of the Munro story that went unremarked upon (until now) is the man Munro will replace: Bobby Siller. After a career in the FBI that ended as special agent in charge of the Las Vegas office, Siller went on to be — in our humble view — a pretty bad Gaming Control Board member.

Casinos didn’t like the guy because he grilled them about their bottom line. When private gambling salons didn’t perform as well as casinos had hoped, Siller jumped on executives to ask why. (Frankly, revenue at casinos is a matter for the executives and shareholders, not the control board.)

We at Various Things & Stuff didn’t care for Siller because of his moralistic crusade, specifically against the Hard Rock hotel-casino. He threatened the casino’s license over some admittedly racy (but cleverly done) billboards, using some downright ridiculous arguments. The jihad continued until the Gaming Commission slapped the Control Board’s hand, reminding them that advertising is generally covered by a little thing called the First Amendment.

Let’s hope Munro keeps his eye on the Control Board’s actual mission: Keeping casino games fair, and keeping casino staffs clean. Leave the bottom line and billboards to the guys who know what they’re doing.

» Here’s a good one: What’s the Polish word for "weasel"?

Answer: Krolicki!

As in Lt. Gov.-elect Brian Krolicki, who’s currently the state’s treasurer. As such, he’s assigned to an office on the first floor of the state Capitol at 101 N. Carson St. up in beautiful Carson City.

And that’s the problem: Krolicki wants to keep that office, and not move up to the second floor of the Capitol, where the lieutenant governor has quarters, according to the Las Vegas Sun. His current digs are much closer to the governor’s office, and in politics, proximity is power.

Not that Krolicki’s saying that of course. He told the Sun that it would be much more efficient, since there are treasurer’s office employees up on the second floor. (Funny how he never wanted to move up there during his eight years as treasurer, huh? Maybe he just never noticed the "efficiency" until now.)

The fact is, the current arrangement makes sense. The treasurer has a lot more impact on the state than the lieutenant governor, and should be closer to the governor’s office. Treasurer-elect Kate Marshall is taking the high road, saying she’s focused on her programs, not where her new office will be. Since Krolicki’s new job doesn’t have programs — or any real responsibility — he’s obviously got some time on his hands.

Now we know why political insiders call Krolicki "the whiner," although we think we’ll stick with our own "w" word.

Oh, by the way: The state Ethics Commission cleared Krolicki of wrongdoing after he unnecessarily plastered his mug all over privately financed ads for the College Savings Plan of Nevada and the Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program. Although the ads amounted to free advertising to raise Krolicki’s name recognition among voters (in our view) the Ethics Commission found no violation (in its view).

What are the odds that we’ll see Krolicki’s face again, this time on travel agency-financed ads encouraging people to visit Nevada? Perhaps a cameo in a movie shot in the Silver State? After all, there’s a political ladder to climb and it’s clear Krolicki wants an office on the first floor of the Capitol very badly…

» Forcibly retired state Supreme Court Justice Nancy Becker may have plans for the future, but she’s sure not sharing them with the Review-Journal because of all the mean things that newspaper said about her during the campaign.

Does Becker not realize that reporter Carri Geer Thevenot doesn’t write those editorials? And that she probably thinks they’re whack? (We’re just guessing on that, but we’re pretty confident in our assumption.)

Anyway, the speculation is that Becker will apply to the state Supreme Court to be certified as a senior judge, to sit on cases at the District Court level when jurist absences and caseloads require. But we’re wondering why a big Las Vegas law firm wouldn’t make her an offer. Having an ex-Supreme on the letterhead is never a bad thing.

Just keep Becker — tossed because of the awful Guinn v. Legislature decision — away from the appellate practice. Trust us.

» Speaking of wacky R-J editorials, we highly commend Vin Suprynowicz’s Sunday column to you. Although we at Various Things & Stuff are part of what Vin would label the World Socialist Revolution, we cannot help but appreciate a well-written, well-considered argument for the other side. And Vin rarely disappoints on that score.

» What is up with the Aladdin? The hotel-casino — which is slowly transforming itself into the Planet Hollywood hotel-casino, admitted it sent a security officer to ask a Salvation Army bell ringer to move off the sidewalk in front of the Strip property.

The charity reports that Aladdin officials said it was an "eminent domain" issue, and that they claimed they had a legal right to order people off the sidewalk.

Actually, there is a legal term for that argument: Total bullshit.

A federal court ruled on the issue of private sidewalks after The Venetian sued the Culinary Union Local 226 for protesting on sidewalks that were actually built on private Venetian property. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which let stand the District Court’s ruling. That ruling? Sidewalks, even those built on private property, function as public forums, and people thereon are thus entitled to full First Amendment protection.

Guess the Aladdin didn’t get the memo. And when we say "memo," of course, we mean "law of the land."

And seriously, a bell ringer? For a charity? Trying to raise money to help people at Christmas? Talk about being a grinch!

UPDATE: We talked to both the Salvation Army and the Aladdin today (Tuesday) and confirmed the following: A security officer did say the hotel had a legal right to exclude people from the sidewalk, which is not true. Hotel officials acknowledge they don’t have that right, and lay the blame at the feet of somebody who was neither authorized to speak for the property, nor fully informed.

Moreover, the Aladdin met with the Salvation Army, showed officials from the charity around the property, and found them a nifty spot to stand nearby. The Salvation Army is happy, and the Aladdin is happy (not to mention clarifying sidewalk rules with its staff). Why, it’s a Christmas miracle!

We can’t help but think that every hotel on the Strip, as well as every Metro officer who patrols the Strip, would benefit from a little legal education about what is and is not permitted on sidewalks. That’s one dandy way to avoid misunderstandings like this in the future, we think.

» What’s next, hookers? The poor Las Vegas Monorail can’t seem to catch a break, even with hot chicks dressed as cocktail waitresses hawking their train. The so-called "Ambassadors" wander Caesars Palace, The Venetian, The Mirage and Harrah’s, passing out monorail info. And still, only 18,710 riders, far less than the train needs to break even.

Something is telling us that even hookers might not save this train.

Look, monorail officials, it’s been a good run. The monorail did it’s job (i.e. made lots of money for partners Bob Broadbent and Cam Walker, and later put a little money into the pocket of Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson). But even the most critical predictions of the train’s most ardent foes have proven to be generous.

Maybe it’s time to just cut our losses, and dig into that fund set aside to dismantle the monorail? And instead of hoping for a miracle, a marketing scheme, a bulk-ticket sale plan, or a bevy of babes to save the train, how about taking a ride to a place we call "reality"? Trust us, it sucks sometimes. (That’s what alcohol is for!) But it’s better than waking up in a fantasyland where each new sunrise brings only disappointment and despair.