Letters for February 25, 2016

Trainor on Oregon

Re “Is occupation terror?” (Let Freedom Ring, Feb. 11):

Brendan Trainor, self appointed expert on the criminals—er, um, “heroes” who took over my national wildlife refuge at gunpoint up there by Lake Malheur, knows so much about the situation that he doesn’t even know the name of the damned county where this all took place. It’s Harney County, not Hanley County, cupcake.

Secondly when a bunch of fruit bats spend weeks telling the world how much they want to kill law enforcement officers, and then one of them tries to run a cop over with his vehicle, it should come as no surprise that when he gets out of the car and reaches into his jacket, the law enforcement officers opened fire immediately and killed him. And no, Mr. factually devoid granny boy, Finnicum didn’t just “drive into a snowbank”; he accelerated and aimed his vehicle directly at a law officer and tried to run him over. This is called attempted murder of a law officer, and the cops had every right to blow his brains all over the landscape at any point after he tried that little chickenshit maneuver.

Oh, and by the way, it wasn’t just a maintenance shack they took over. You lied about that, and you know it. It was an office building. With computers and file cabinets inside it that had personal information such as the addresses of the government employees who worked at the refuge. I guess that, as usual, all I can really say about your wild fabrications and piss poor journalism is that you, sir, are a liar. But you’re obviously a big fan of these kind of people. So next time some of these nuts try to take over a government facility, I suggest you get yourself a cute little AR-15, thump your atrophied old chest a few times, and go join them. Mostly so I can either come visit you while you wear your orange jumpsuit in prison, (which would be a hilarious thing to see) , or come visit your desolate grave after the feds rightfully cap you.

Chris Rosamond

Reno

Re “Is occupation terror?” (Let Freedom Ring, Feb. 11):

First, I didn’t see anyone else exiting the truck before Finicum was shot. Second, Finicum, who had just asked the cops several times to, “Just shoot me,” did exactly what someone would do, who wanted martyrdom for himself, but the safety of the other truck passengers. He quickly exited the truck, stuck both hands up in the air, walked approximately 25 feet to the rear of the truck and away from it, then he pretended to be fumbling to get his gun. He got his wish. He was “martyred” and the other truck passengers were not harmed by any stray bullets.

Scott Perry

Salinas, California

Letters that make us cry

Re “Songs that make us cry” (cover story, Feb. 11):

As soon as I saw the cover story, I started making my list, and I didn’t see any of my weepy songs in the article. They are:

“For Once In My Life” by Stevie Wonder.

“A Room Full of Roses” by Mickey Gilley.

“I’m Sorry” by Brenda Lee.

Anything by Patsy Cline, but especially “Crazy.”

And always, “God Bless America” by Kate Smith.

How about a story about movies that make us cry? I’m making my list. Hey, I’m running out of tissues!

Brad MacKenzie

Reno

Re “Songs that make us cry” (cover story, Feb. 11):

Thanks very much for your great piece. I found it in my ASCAP daily news letter. I can relate to many of your respondents’ answers as to the songs that make them cry or the reasons in the songs. I am an amateur musician and have a little band. We play what is known as “Americana” style music. That is a fancy word sometimes for hillbilly music or “Old School” country music.

At any rate, there are some songs that I have learned and in the process of learning them, would actually not be able to sing the song because it would make me start crying in the middle. One in particular is “Seminole Wind” by John Anderson, which I first heard the day after the “storm of the century” back in the 90s. It describes the total greed and corruption that has devastated the Florida environment and the lives of the Seminole tribe. I could listen to the song and get emotional but to sing it and to say the lyrics out loud made me cry. I think the tears were guilt of what my people (white people) have done to this state and this planet and to Native Americans. It took me about a month to be able to get all the way through “Seminole Wind” without crying.

You are correct in that different songs strike different chords to different people, but thank God, that is just one of the many powers of music.

Lew Dawg Cloninger

MrHillbilly49

The Stray Dawgs

Plantation, Florida

Snowden legacy

Apple is taking a stand against President Obama’s administration and the FBI because of Edward Snowden’s courageous actions. Technology companies would never have stood up to the Obama Administration if Edward Snowden chose to stay silent. Suddenly Apple and other tech companies are embarrassed because they created an all you can eat data buffet for the NSA. Now Apple is rightfully trying to make amends to privacy conscious consumers.

However, my concern is that Apple iPhones might already have some sort of anti-encryption back door built into their software in the Chinese and Russian markets. In order for Apple to sell iPhones in China, or Russia, Apple had to agree to the these repressive regimes internet and telecommunications regulations. Unfortunately, I worry that Apple might have inadvertently built in technological back doors into their iOS and iPhone software in the Chinese and Russian markets that can be exploited by the NSA.

Earl Ammerman IV

Reno