Letters for April 28, 2011

No Istanbul

Re “Connections made” (Filet of Soul, April 7):

Thank you for writing about Nina and Forerunner Bookstore, my favorite place and my exclusive gallerist. I hope you enjoyed your visit there and that you will go back and have coffee with the many lovely people who frequent there. I am more of a hermit, so I rarely go, but I’m glad you went and saw for yourself how nice it is. Is not the sign that Joel Abilar and Corey Larson painted, truly amazing? Joel is truly a gifted artist and Corey, a master craftsman/painter. Did you know that Joel is also a tattoo artist? Truly gifted by God. Corey is very gifted in his skills, as well, being trained by the very best, and a very sensitive artist, with an eye for that which is “hidden” from most eyes. He has a great future as an artist, if he so chooses.

It is not my intention to correct your article, but Constantine did not split the churches. The Roman Catholic Church left us, the Orthodox Church, in 1054, due to many differences of opinion on various ecclesiastical matters, including papal infallibility and the Filioque (a Western addition to the Nicene Creed that stated that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Orthodox Church maintains that which was always taught: The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone.) We, the Orthodox, maintain that there is no such thing as a “pope,” a one-person head over all the church. Rather we have always believed that all bishops are equal in their “vote” and that all are necessary to govern the church as a whole, and that while Peter enjoyed a special place of honor, his successors are not “infallible.” There were some other reasons for the split, and actually it took several decades for this to be complete. Things in those days did not happen overnight. Nonetheless, I hope this explanation is helpful to you and others. It is of course, a small matter, and not a reflection on your excellent articles. I appreciate them every week. I always look forward to seeing where your own adventures in Filet of Soul will take you, and to what conclusions.

Pyrata de Artiste
Reno

Hope for rebirth

Re “Cocaine, crime and Christ” (Feature story, April 7):

Redemption always makes for a compelling story because we all want to believe in the capacity to change, no matter how dark the past. I just wish more people worshiped Rev. Evans’ god of love and hope, rather than the much more widely worshiped god who telepathically authorizes his servants to impose his rules and judgments here on Earth. Whether or not I believe in a god, I always believe in people of good will and hope.

Gary Marks
Sparks

Already?

Four years ago, I went to a rally at the University of Nevada, Reno and met a man who changed my life. That man was U.S. Rep. Ron Paul. He changed my life because until that time, I didn’t think there was anyone in Washington who shared my views about peace, sound money, individual liberty and the Constitution. It was a revelation to hear Ron Paul speak that day, and he gave me faith that at least one person was working for me in Washington, D.C. I went on to do everything I could to help Ron secure the GOP presidential nomination. I failed. But since that time, everything Ron Paul predicted has come true. He’s been right about the economy, our failed wars, and our miserable budget. His ideas can take our nation out of certain ruin and back to prosperity. This can only happen if he’s president. Ron Paul will sign his new book, Liberty Defined, at 3:30 p.m., April 28, at UNR’s Student Union. He will also speak at Lawlor Events Center, in the Silver & Blue Room at 7 p.m. Ron Paul for President 2012!

Cynthia Kennedy
Virginia City

Pennies from heaven

Re “Yucca Mountain won’t lessen risks” (Guest Comment, April 7):

I appreciate Richard Bryan’s comments concerning the need for dry storage of spent nuclear fuel. The considerable cost should not outweigh public safety. Nuclear power consumers already pay for storage through the “Nuclear Waste Trust Fund” that now sits at $20 billion. However, the cost of building would be redundant considering a completed ($13 billion) facility already exists at Yucca Mountain and only needs a certificate of occupancy to put in place the safety measures that Mr. Bryan substantiated.

The total life cycle cost for the Yucca Mountain facility is estimated at almost $100 billion. Once in operation, most of those funds would be spent in Nevada, and the trust fund would provide $1 billion annually to our state budget. Similar to Alaska, establishing a permanent trust fund could provide every family in Nevada an annual direct dividend payment of $2,500. In addition, the potential exists to expand the use of Yucca Mountain beyond storage, adding thousands of high-paying statewide jobs.

Let’s support Richard Bryan’s recommendation of dry storage for nuclear waste and start using Yucca Mountain to its full potential. It’s not only good for Nevada but necessary for the safety of our nation.

Corrin Keck
Reno

A new spin

Re “Burn, baby, burn” (View from the Fray, April 21):

When the government was threatened with a looming shutdown, President Obama stated that if it happened, it would cripple our fragile economic recovery. Gas was at $3.87 a gallon. When the president gave his 2012 budget speech a few days later, gas was at $3.95 a gallon. Three years ago, when prices were at this level, then president Bush ordered more drilling, and the price went down by 15 cents the next week.

Back then, the media was all over Bush for the high cost of fuel. Today, that same media is painting a more conciliatory tone. “Wow, look at how people are adjusting, getting away from evil oil.” In fact, the onslaught of higher prices has not even begun to reach us in the cost of food, clothing and other necessities. But then, progressives have had more time to “reeducate” the masses, that somehow, this is a “good thing.”

As I send this off, gas costs $4.05 a gallon. Thank goodness we didn’t shut down the government, that would hurt this “fragile economic recovery.”

Bill Thibault
Sparks

Ouch

Mr. Cashell and Company, it’s time to go. Regardless of the years left in your elected tenure, your resignation is at hand. Under your misguided direction, this once proud city has risen to the top of a national cesspool with peers such as Detroit; Bell, Calif.; and New Jersey as a whole. With neolithic incompetence, you and your ilk have stolen the safety, the money, and now, the trust of your constituents. You hide your malfeasance behind puzzled looks of bewilderment and fingers pointed at the people whose very livelihood is to personally shepherd the residents of the Truckee Meadows and keep them safe from harm. This can no longer stand. If you have any shred of decency left, you will collectively tender your resignations immediately and remove yourselves as the high profile examples of public blight that you have become. Be thankful we live in a society civilized enough to let you do this without the application of tar and feathers, though God knows you deserve it.

Steve Clark
Reno