This is just beyond asinine. (h/t doubleplusundead)

Sun columnist Jon Ralston is reporting that the Tea Party has qualified as a third party in Nevada and will have a candidate in the Senate race to battle for the seat held by Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The party has filed a Certificate of Existence but needs to get 1 percent of the electorate to vote for its candidate in November to permanently qualify, according to the report.

Ralston reported that Jon Ashjian will be the Tea Party’s U.S. Senate candidate on the November ballot. Ashjian still must declare his candidacy.

Awesome…..this goes a long way towards ensuring Harry Reid stays the Senator of that State.

Look, I’m all for the tea party being a force behind conservatives and agree with much that they stand for but dammit….making a third party is just a recipe for disaster. A complete and utter disaster.

UPDATE

Many thanks to the Freepers who have investigated this Tea Party of Nevada group:

Dr. Sid James, Chairman
Curtis Atwood, Vice Chairman (Atwood Building & Development (LV), contractor)
Eric Scholer, Second Vice Chairman (Scholer Steele & Associates (LV), insurance)
Barry Levinson, Secretary (Personal injury/bankruptcy attorney and former attorney for John Wayne Bobbitt)
Daniel Hayden, Treasurer
Kiana Hayden, At Large Member
Romy Ashjian, At Large Member
Keith Ozawa, At Large Member (President of American Leak Detection, Las Vegas, Nevada)
Jim Ebel, At Large Member
Larry Lathum, At Large Member

More on this Keith Ozawa:

Leland Keith Ozawa, Jr. (CRD #2119830, Registered Representative, Las Vegas, Nevada) submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent in which he was fined $5,000 and suspended from association with any NASD member in any capacity for two months. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Ozawa consented to the described sanctions and to the entry of findings that he participated in private securities transactions without providing prior written notice to, and receiving written approval from, his member firm.

Ozawa’s suspension began October 21, 2002, and will conclude at the close of business December 20, 2002. (NASD Case #C02020046)

A bit more:

Looks like Scholer and the Haydens are related:

http://kalamareunion.blogspot.com/

Kiana Hayden: http://kianaonp90x.blogspot.com/

“Dr.” Sid James (that kind of waving of useless credentials screams third party jerk to me) doesn’t have much of a web footprint.

Bottom line: They seem to all be related or connected via real estate in Las Vegas (except maybe the lawyer). There’s virtually nothing that can be found about them, including activity in the Tea Party itself.

Thanks to Freepers Amishdude and Pan_Yan for their excellent research

Just based on the limited research from the Freepers it’s looking more and more like this “candidate” and his group are hijacking the Tea Party name.

UPDATE

Mata looked into the group herself and came up with a few more interesting facts on the ambulance chaser. Looks like he also enjoys suing the LVPD:

Guy with broken neck due to arrest “abuse” and a chopped video tape.. where they settled

http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=7751723

Here’s another in 2002 that he sued the police on behalf of a guy who’s DNA got mixed up with his cellmates (note, he was already serving a sentence when the cellmate accused Levinson’s plaintiff of rape, and they obtained both their DNA samples). Then the alleged raper got nailed for a year’s sentence based on the DNA later….

This chairman, Dr. Sid James, is pretty much invisible on the net. So is pretty much every person in the group. No political papertrail to follow.

This is some group that has used the tea party name for their own benefit.

UPDATE

Now we are starting to get an idea about whose benefit they are working for…..why, the Paulbots. The Neveda News Bureau has done an excellent job of culling together bits and pieces:

Here are some snippets from my research so far:

Barry Levinson was part of the “Bush Lied, People Died” cabal (very strange creds for a Tea Party guy). 

Not really core to the story but one of the principals, Larry Lathum, appears to be a 9/11 Truther.

~~~

And from another (Nevada) source:

“The party’s candidate Jon Scott Ashjian has connections with Brittain Ashjian; both are listed on each others LLC’s docs with the state.  (Go to http://nvsos.gov/sosentitysearch/CorpSearch.aspx and do an office search on Ashjian).  A lot of the officers and resident agents for Ashjian are also “officers” for the Party.  This just smells…

The Ashjian’s have listings for over 10 LLC’s including the following names:

Bada-Bling, LLC
W.I.T. Bro, LLC AKA AA Paving.
24/Construction, LLC
W.S.C.I. LLC
Two Amigos, LLC
Cajun Express, LLC
Squidman, LLC
The 1720, LLC
TNT Energy Products, LLC
RNC Properties, LLC

Almost all of the LLC’s have various registered agents or officers with address of 4485 N. RAINBOW, Las Vegas.

~~~

A search of the Contractor’s Board website rendered these results re: a complaint and pending hearing & action re: Tea Party of Nevada candidate Jon Ashjian:

License Number: 0038420

Current Date: 02/15/2010 04:36 PM(mm/dd/yyyy)

Business Primary Name: JON SCOTT ASHJIAN DBA

License Monetary Limit: $250,000.00

Fictitious Business Name: A & A ASPHALT PAVING COMPANY

Business Address: 4485 N RAINBOW BLVD,  LAS VEGAS, NV 89108

Phone Number: (702)891-9111

Status: Summary Suspension

Status Date: 02/03/2010 (mm/dd/yyyy)

Origin Date: 11/02/1994 (mm/dd/yyyy)

Expiration Date: 11/30/2010 (mm/dd/yyyy)

Business Type: Individual

Classification(s): A-8 – SEALING & STRIPING OF ASPHALTIC SURFACES

A12 – EXCAVATING GRADING TRENCHING & SURFACING

A16 – PAVING STREETS,DRIVEWAYS & PARKING LOTS

Principal Name Relation Description:  ASHJIAN, JON SCOTT Owner Qualified Individual

Bonds

Bond Type: Surety Bond

Bond Number: FS7782036

Bond Agent: HUDDLESON, KATHLEEN A

Surety Company: GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY

Bond Amount: $15,000.00

Effective Date: 09/15/2006 (mm/dd/yyyy)

Cancellation Date: 03/28/2010 (mm/dd/yyyy)

Disciplinary Actions

Date: 12/29/2009 (mm/dd/yyyy)

Discipline Type:

Discipline document:   Pending – Disciplinary action is pending against this licensee in the form of a Disciplinary Hearing.

Number Of Complaints: 1 complaint is associated with this action.

Notice: The pending action alleges the following violations. Upon final adjudication some violations or cases may be found to be without merit.

Violation(s): NRS 624.3013(3) Failure to establish financial responsibility, NRS 624.3016(1) Fraudulent or deceitful act

Action(s): Pending Adjudication.

The information contained on these pages are provided as a courtesy and may not reflect recent changes or updates. Neither the completeness nor accuracy is guaranteed. The Nevada State Contractors Board shall have no liability or responsibility for loss and damages arising from the information provided or retrieved from these pages.

No telling if this is legit or not until the Board makes their final call.  Will keep an eye on it and keep you posted.

~~~

As reported by Ralston over the weekend and as shown in that list of LLCs above, there is also a Jon Ashjian listed as the resident agent of TNT Energy Products, LLC.  The address for that entity is the same as for A&A Asphalt Paving Company.  Which is the same as the address for the office of Barry Levinson.

Go to the website for more including a statement from Barry Levinson.

Either way, the Bush Lied People Died and 911 Twoofer kinda of people scream, absolutely SCREAM Paulbot to me.