Letters for July 13, 2006

Woman’s right to choose
Women’s health care has come a long way. Take a peek into magazines or watch television and you’ll see advertisements for birth-control pills. Women have the power to make decisions about their bodies. Although women’s contraceptives are available more than ever, we still have work to do.

One resource, Emergency Contraception (EC) needs to be available for all women. EC can prevent pregnancy up to five days after sexual activity. Women need the right to choose when it is time to have a child. EC can be used if a woman forgets to take her birth control or if a condom breaks. Before, women had to go through the panic of thinking she might be pregnant. Also, this is an option for women if they have been the victims of rape or incest.

Women are entitled to quality reproductive health services. They need the ability to control their bodies. Steps need to be taken to ensure EC is available for every woman if she wants it. There needs to be easy access to EC at pharmacies. Also, women need to take preventative measures and have EC in their medicine cabinet. This way, every woman has a safe way out.

Susan Dons
Reno

Trust the media (but not the Hook)
Re “Bush or the media? You be the judge,” (Right Hook, July 6):

Mike Lafferty’s column omits the key piece of information which the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal considered before publishing their pieces: They did not release details that weren’t already widely known or that the release of which would put people at risk. In fact, the details were previously released by the Bush administration itself as well as the SWIFT program.

The newspapers put no one in danger. They didn’t expose a previously unknown program that now puts all these people at risk. Therefore, Lafferty’s entire argument becomes baseless.

What’s worse is that he completely ignores the pertinent issues: the degree to which Bush and company are bypassing checks and balances that are there for a reason, and that their temper tantrum over these pieces has more to do with Bush & Co. trying to bully the press into submission. Does he not have a real defense for that?

If there were a real defense, Lafferty and others wouldn’t have to deflect attention away from the real issues by presenting dishonest arguments and misguiding people’s patriotism. If Bush really were “right” on this issue, neither he nor Mr. Lafferty would need to stoop to such lows.

David Gordon
Reno

Women need guns
Re “The Gun Club,” (Feature story, July 6):

“The Gun Club” was written primarily from a male-centric point of view. Is it good for a man to carry a concealed weapon? There are arguments for and against. Is it good for a woman to carry a concealed weapon? Well, probably only if she is afraid of being raped or robbed by a larger, stronger person. But then, how many people are larger and stronger than a 5-foot-tall, 100-pound woman?

One thing that is always cited when debating the issue of citizens carrying guns is child deaths. There are hard, fast statistics on child deaths from guns. Of course, the statistics fail to separate out the 15-year-old gangbanger who shoots a few other 15-year-olds to 17-year-olds. Those last are child deaths due to guns. Of course, the 15-year-old gangbanger is not old enough to legally buy a gun.

I have a home-defense weapon myself. If you break into my house at night, you get a judge and jury trial. I am the judge. The jury is just two, Smith and Wesson. Your unlucky number is 357.

AJ Bima
Reno

Damned politics
Re “See the movie,” (Letters, June 29):

How convenient it is to attack a citizen messenger who so happens to have been a politician.

Better to shoot the messenger than listen to his/her message, huh?

A major global warming event is on our horizon, be it human caused or not. I don’t think any sane person can refute this fact.

Regardless of our differences on the cause, the issue begs this question: Do we continue to deny the provable, clearly observed facts, or do we move forward toward a workable contingency plan?

I do believe this is the message Mr. Gore was putting forth in the film.

Politics be damned.

name withheld
Reno

Missing the story
We read the News & Review every week and love it. We recommend it to everyone if they want to know what’s going on in the area.

We wanted to ask why you haven’t done a story on Mr. Artown, Mark Simon. Everyone knows him, and he is involved in everything, everywhere. You name it: jazz festivals, dance and music festivals, high school graduations, Fallon arts, university dances, municipal bands, Artown, the Green Room, Record Street Cafe and Rollin’ on the River concerts. He’d be an interesting subject with great looks for the cover.

Judy, John, Rodger, Shirley and Pat
Reno

Editor’s note: Hey, you’re right. That’s a great idea for a story. Thanks.