Letters for December 22, 2016

Liberal letter by liberal writer

Can we cool it with the liberal use of the word “liberal?” Last week two out of four letters used the word in an almost derogatory fashion, as if to imply that a word describing a political philosophy had inherent negative qualities by merit of its existence. It’s this kind of discourse that shuts everything down. If you’re convinced that the other side is inherently wrong because of their beliefs, you will find that discussing and participating in democratic politics will be extremely difficult. If that’s the way one sees the world, they should just admit they’re more of an authoritarian than they are a believer in democracy.

I’m no fool—I realize the word conservative gets demonized plenty as well, and it would behoove ardent left-wingers to read and discuss credible right-wing news sources in order to gain insight and perhaps even discover genuine profundity coming from the opposition. The difficulty with the next few years is that we must realize that even though we differ in values we may not disagree on what a positive outcome would be.

Zachary Boyden

Reno

Trump’s acreage landslide

Re “Government Overthrow” (Notes From the Neon Babylon, Nov. 17):

Bruce, sorry the election result caused the herpes to flare up. You seem to labor under the misconception that the United States of America is a democracy. It is not. Rather, it is a federal republic. And a constitutional republic. Under that Constitution, the states (not just citizens!) are accorded minority rights and protections. And I know you’re all about minority rights, now aren’t you? The Electoral College, by design, practically ensures that a handful of states cannot dominate a large majority of states in selecting a President.

Consider that Trump not only won 30 states (60 percent), but over 2,600 counties (83 percent) to Clinton’s less than 500. Clinton’s measly 2 percent margin in so-called “popular vote” pales in comparison. Drop all the f-bombs you like, but even millions of precious snowflakes signing an online petition ain’t going to do away with the Electoral College. You know that. So why lead your impressionable acolytes astray by suggesting otherwise? Rather, you should embrace the Electoral College as the bulwark against tyranny that it is! To quote a now-infamous President: “Elections have consequences.” Live with them, with dignity and grace.

Brian Adams

Reno

Bergland on Hartman on Myers

Re “Hartman on Myers” (letters, Dec. 1):

Hey Jim, question 2 passed. Google it. Now, after 50 years, I can finally roll a legal doobie and smoke it in the privacy of my own home. Ha!

You need to quit attacking our hard working researcher and reporter, and get rid of some of that nastiness. Many admire Mr. Myers, and although I may not always agree with his good works, I do respect him. Mebbe you should chill, and—oh never mind, it would just make you crazy(er).

Hey, marihuana’s legal now, you really should learn to deal with it. It’s not going away. If you don’t like it, well, don’t smoke it. Isn’t that a real, real, real simple solution?

Is it 4:20 yet?

Craig Bergland

Reno

Editor’s note: Mr. Bergland’s spelling of marijuana reflects a practice of many decades by the federal government, whose early drug warriors seemed to have some kind of resistance to that J. The federal spelling was finally brought in line with the rest of humankind in the early days of the Reagan administration because, as Justice Department official Richard Williams put it, “People are making fun of us because we don’t even know how to spell it.” Thus are federal drug policies made, and the old form is sometimes used to poke fun at federal ignorance. Ω