Letters for February 6, 2020

Hater

Re “MLK had a lot to say” (Notes from the Neon Babylon, Jan. 23):

Bruce strikes again! In his usual inimitable way, Bruce Van Dyke might be the first print personality to refer to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as “ole Martin.” Is there an underlying disrespect here for the life and achievements of a great man driven by a belief and faith that necessarily led him to the equality of all men? Mr. Van Dyke quickly attempts to avoid this conclusion by listing some of Dr. King's most memorable quotes, which he ostensibly agrees with. Among them, “Non-violence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”

Where does one suppose Mr. Van Dyke's regard for President Trump and his supporters falls on the Hate O'meter from zero to 10? Is another number needed? A student can sit at the feet of a great teacher and learn nothing.

I guess that ole Bruce just can't help himself. Haters gonna hate.

Thom Waters

Laws or loopholes?

A fundamental problem with the administration of Donald Trump is that they don't believe we're a country of laws. They believe we're a country of loopholes. Trump's modus operandi before and after he was inaugurated has been to use loopholes in laws as shields and weapons. And he is not alone. Trump himself identified the problem during his campaign—he called it “The Swamp,” and claimed that he alone could rid the swamp of the bad creatures. And he kept his promise—sort of. The problem is he only got rid of creatures who could not or would not choose to live in the new Trump Swamp. Living by the loophole was his choice when Trump was a civilian. He's a public official now, and regardless of why anyone voted him into office, he has an obligation to live by the law. He has chosen otherwise. Senate Republicans are desperate to find a loophole they can use to turn a blind eye to the harms this president has done and is doing to this country. All you need do is consider how they would react if it was a Democratic president doing any of this. This president, the Senate, and our country are on trial. We have to decide whether we are a country of laws or loopholes. If it's the latter, then we must to accept an inevitable breakdown of law.

Michel Rottmann

Virginia City Highlands

Wheels turning

Free public transportation? OMG, nooooo! Don't want my defense-budget tax money going to sustain the infrastructure—shit.

Regardless, consider the costs of operating an auto to get to work so you can pay for a place to live when you're not working. Huh?

A hundred bucks a month for insurance, maybe $300 for car payments, another $50 or so for repairs, license, etc., and that doesn't even account for gasoline. I can see half a grand going to car costs.

A month-long bus pass for seniors is less than a buck a day. If more people rode buses there would be more buses on the road, more routes available and much more frequently, less traffic congestion and hateful road rage, people actually intermingling while traveling, and you can probably see where I'm going here?

BTW, rumor is Reno has more electric buses than most anywhere in the US.

Craig Bergland

Reno

Power plays

The Republicans have an interesting take on the president's power, or at least a Republican president's power, making the case in the current impeachment proceedings that the president can do whatever he wants to get re-elected because it is in the public's interest. In this view, the president could remove minorities such as blacks and Latinos from voter registration, barring them from voting since they tend to vote more for democrat candidates. And, further, not only would it be in his interest to do so, it would be in their interest too, since they are members of the public. This view brought to you by the same political party that produced the “unitary president” concept, the idea that a president has unilateral power, during the George W. Bush presidency, quickly reversing their stance when Barack Obama was elected. It would be hilarious if it were not so scary that many people actually buy into such chicanery seeing no hypocrisy.

Tom Wicker

Reno