Letters for March 13, 2003

Gee, if we should have learned anything from the anti-Vietnam war movement, I would hope it would be agreeing to disagree without a bunch of ugly name calling.

This Modern World is a cartoon and a funny one at that. How could anyone call it sedition? I’m all for free speech, but let’s keep it respectful and to the point.

War is heck, but Tom Tomorrow is not The Enemy. France is not The Enemy. George Bush is not The Enemy. War is a policy question to be decided through the democratic process. It’s not a moral question, as some would have it. Neither pacifism nor patriotism represents the ace of trump. None of us is 100 percent right, and 10 years down the road, we sometimes see things differently. Chill out on the name calling.

Frank Patten
via e-mail

Abstain from abstinence only
Re “The ABCs of S-E-X” [RN&R, Cover, Feb. 13]:

Sex might be an uncomfortable issue to discuss publicly, but no one seems to have a problem with the rising stats of teen pregnancy and abortions. In a city full of addictions, why can’t we have programs that educate people and help them become more aware of the responsibility that comes when engaging in sexual intercourse?

Abstinence is not an issue we should be pushing with unmarried couples, safety is. Today, there are so many forms of contraception that the number of unwanted pregnancies and STDs should be low.

Malia Bruhn
via e-mail

Consumers will pay
Re “Businesses should pay up” [RN&R, Letters, Feb. 27]:

I am a small businessperson, and I would just like to warn Julie Morrison that if Gov. Guinn places a tax upon businesses, we consumers will be the ones footing the bill. I, for one, will certainly raise the cost of my product. Hence my customer will pay for this new tax. Remember, what goes around comes around. We’ll all feel the burden of this tax.

Richard Evans
Sparks

War or peace?
My opinion on the war is undecided. I know I wouldn’t want to go to war and die on the battlefield. On the other hand, I don’t like the idea that we will someday be attacked again. In an effort to sway my stance to either “hawk” or “dove,” I went to a peace rally with a friend on March 1.

As we walked, we were greeted by people honking their horns and giving peace signs. Within a couple of minutes, a man driving a new car yelled something to the effect of “You all suck, commie faggots!” The peacekeepers shouted things like “Peace, man!” and “God bless you!” Their courage astounded me. We were about to continue our walk when a young man approached our group, claiming he was in the military. His argument for the war was that Saddam Hussein broke the treaty banning weapons of mass destruction, which was a good argument.

I walked away with a new respect for the peacekeepers. I used to be one of the people flashing a middle finger. From now on, I will wave my whole hand, not giving them the peace sign, just waving.

Jeremy Penrod
Sparks

Guinn faces apathetic locals
Re “Nevada faces a turning point” [RN&R, Cover, Feb. 27]:

My compliments to Dennis Myers. While I’m no supporter of Kenny Guinn, I commend his speaking out about the need to fix Nevada’s problems. The governor has a steep uphill battle to fight, and not just for fiscal reasons.

Any efforts to improve Nevada must overcome locals’ complacency. People usually dismiss statements of fact with phrases like, “I love it here.” Blind support doesn’t help Nevada improve. This place can improve and retain a distinct character. Why be America’s bad neighborhood?

Also, standards here for most things are disturbingly low. Quality of life, education, professionalism and even basic civility suffer here. Complacency tolerates these traits. Changing these habits won’t be easy. Has Guinn accounted for how hard it is to lead Nevadans in the direction he proposes?

It’s as easy to bash Nevada as to boost it, but Guinn’s candor about its conditions is refreshing. If Guinn can raise the proverbial bar, kudos to him. I’m just not sure the rest of the state will try very hard.

Lance Bernard
via e-mail

Corrections

Re “Trauma drama” [RN&R, News, March 6]:

There were two misstatements of fact in this story. No. 1, the phone number for the 24-hour health hotline is 982-5797. No. 2, the 47 new beds that were reported to be for LifeSkills’s mental-health services are actually for neurological and surgical patients.