Letters for April 9, 2009

Talk radio

Re “KJFK program’s fate uncertain” (Upfront, April 2):

It is a pity, Christiane Brown faces a pending fall overboard.

The real pity is national talk radio, whether it be 50,000 watts or 5,000 watts, is nothing more than a garbage can, punctuated by endless ads. Left or right, the programming is nothing more than out-of-the-playbook, bumper-sticker mantra, apologists for the status quo or the antithesis. The same old recycled, worn out topics.

At the end of the day, these hosts are nothing more than hucksters, pitchmen, hawkers of product, and carnival barkers.

The absolute pity are the people who worship at the feet of these bloviators: rednecks, crackers, hillbillies, hausfraus, shut-ins and pea pickers.

John Fisher
Reno

Cake classic

Re “Piece of cupcake” (Arts & Culture, March 26):

This was a nice piece that you did on the Reno Batch Cupcakery. I thought you might be interested in the “rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey would have said. My name is Darlene Countryman. My husband and I rented 655 Booth Street and operated an ice cream and confectionery store there called Sweet Tooth Cafe. We were on the economic summit trip with the Reno Chamber of Commerce two years ago when Kerry fell, broke his back and died. We were together for 34 years. In my grief, I gave up the Booth Street address and in November of last year, I reopened the business, selling, of all things, CUPCAKES! I make full-size cakes too, but I find the coincidence funny. My store is called “Something Sweet,” and we specialize in making cupcakes for people who have Celiac’s disease and can’t digest flour, and for diabetics, who can’t eat foods high in sugar. We bake to order to accommodate any allergy. We also offer an expanded confectionery menu. My new store is a bit more diverse than Batch, but it was very nice to see that someone took our storefront and made it successful once again. I have met the women who now make cupcakes in my former location. It was a pleasure to walk back into the neighborhood and know that at least a small part of our dreams for that space never died.

Darlene Countryman
Sparks

Fraggles rock

Re “Overcome fear of a nuclear Nevada” (Know You’re Right, March 26):

Not only does it appear that Amanda Williams is in the middle of her Nevada history class and learning about Nevada for the first time, she has no concept of the arrangement the federal government has with Nevada in storing nuclear waste. What proof does she have that Nevada could or would get any monetary compensation for the storage of that waste? It’s also very naive to think that money from the government is a good reason to store the nation’s waste in Yucca. Money, money, money and greed are what has got us into this recession/depression in the first place. And just one last note to Amanda—didn’t her professor at the university tell her about the large number of Fraggles living at Yucca and the problems they might cause?

Franklin Miller
via email

It’s money that matters

Re “Overcome fear of a nuclear Nevada” (Know You’re Right, March 26):

It’s fortunate that I read the Amanda Williams column, “Overcome fear of a nuclear Nevada” just exactly when I did.

Shortly afterward, I saw a man abandon a vehicle and begin walking toward the Home Depot. The screams emanating from the trunk drew my attention, and the man did resemble the chap on the news suspected of abducting those girl scouts.

One does not normally think of the proposal of permanently endangering the major aquifer under Yucca Mountain with irreparable pollution as a political “issue.” Yes, there is politicking, but it’s not an “issue” in the sense of drawing actual scientists to both sides. Like the Punic wars, big hair bands, hip-hop, and the senatorial race between Franken and Coleman, it was settled at a much earlier stage in human history, and it is now so incredibly over. The world of politics hasn’t seen an “issue” so one-sided since Jesus insisted that his dear old mum get to pitch the first rock at the harlot.

But that was before my information on the topic was updated by Ms. Williams’ arguments: “Nevada has the means and can use this to our advantage” and “Bring in this so-called waste. Store it here. And then charge the people who want it stored here. This state can be resourceful once again and make money off an unlikely source to help us get through a hard economic period.” “We need to get over our fear of what may happen.”

Freshly inspired by the fiscal attribute that had never before been mentioned in any other analysis, I was able to intercept the suspicious-looking man, who was only going to shop at Home Depot anyway, and then I’d make no money off the situation.

Putting the full potency of Williams’ fine grasp of priorities to work, I managed to sell this man more than just the gas can necessary for continuing the commute. I sold some trash bags, duct tape, pliers, Vaseline, sandpaper, earplugs, jumper cables, wire brushes, blindfolds, and a cordless Sawzall. Problem solved.

Flombaye Krishnabob Ellison
Reno

Now that’s harsh

Re “Overcome fear of a nuclear Nevada” (Know You’re Right, March 26):

Amanda Williams has moved one giant step closer to winning the prize she so avidly covets: Queen of Idiots.

She says that people who don’t want nuclear waste in Nevada are “just scared because they don’t know any better.” Ergo, Amanda is NOT scared of nuclear waste storage, because SHE doesn’t know any better.

Does she really believe she knows better than these people?:

(1) President Obama, J.D. magna cum laude, Harvard Law School.

(2) Secretary of Energy Chu, Ph.D. Berkeley, Nobel Prize in Physics.

(3) Senator Reid, J.D., George Washington University.

(4) My Australian Shepherd, Blue, failed “graduate” of three doggie-kindergarten classes.

Valerie Cohen
Reno

Refocus police efforts

I’m happy to read that the police are targeting speed racers.

Now only if police would focus on a more prevalent problem: People just rolling through stop signs as if that sign is for everyone else, and red lights as if two tons of steel on the green side couldn’t possibly be hurtling their way.

Correct this flawed posit: such disregard of basic safety, basic awareness, witnessed every single day, sun up, sun down, no matter what time, doesn’t happen in a community that is known for law enforcement.

There is no one around to enforce bonehead basic traffic law. This community repeatedly refuses to finance it with their taxes, a function of a working government and an inarguable quality of life, dictionary definition.

Regardless of outdated stat ratios for a society long past, there are not enough cops given Reno’s population and its “mindset.” There aren’t enough police; therefore, the best use for their limited numbers, the best bang for our tax-paid buck, the best chimera, is to focus on street racing for the bean counters and electorate both.

Great. But street racers comprise what percentage of people endangering lives? They race like macho idiots at some wee hour, endangering only themselves, while the rest of the city rolls through stop signs and runs red lights, 24-7, as if it’s some cottage industry of complete disconnection.

Craig Ayres-Sevier
Reno