Letters for July 22, 2004
More dog daze
Re “Whose best friend?” (RN&R, Letters, July 15):
Poor Mr. Reed, someone raves about dogs, he has to dis on the faithful dog. You can always tell a man has been bitten when they throw up such bile. His assertions make me laugh. The most dangerous animal mankind keeps is his own kind. Where did he get his information that millions of people get bitten annually? He picks out one anecdote to prove a universal truth. How about the dog that saved its master? The mutt in the South that took a bite from a deadly cottonmouth to save his young mistress? How many anecdotes would it take for him to concede that dogs are man’s best friend?
Some folks get too worked up on both sides, with some claiming dogs are God’s gift to mankind and others claiming dogs are dangerous. To be honest, the truth lies in between: Dogs are a gift. They are companions that with the right attention are more faithful and dependable than the best of humans, and if brought up badly, dangerous as an unexploded bomb.
Reed talks of rose-colored glasses, but what of the poison and bile eating away at his own innards and dog-haters’ like him?
Steve Dunn
Carson City
Just coincidence
I can hear it now: “Get rid of the evidence!” Just as we seemed to be getting closer to finding out exactly what George W. was doing when he was absent from his Air Guard unit in Alabama during the Vietnam War, the Pentagon announced that they have just realized that the microfiche containing Bush’s military record for 1972-3 was inadvertently destroyed some time ago. The loss was conveniently ascertained after Associated Press filed a lawsuit in June to obtain Bush’s records under the Freedom of Information Act, and came as a complete surprise to everyone, including Lt. Col. Albert C. Lloyd, who was examining George’s records for the White House.
What kind of a society is this turning into? We have rigged elections, political officers reviewing scientists and artists, the government looking at the books we read, rampant propaganda, media control, the dismantling of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, people incarcerated indefinitely in concentration camps without charge, torture, the big lie, terror alerts to keep us compliant, and now official destruction of evidence. It sounds like the beginning of a Banana Republic with fascist overtones.
Ben Adams
via e-mail
I swear
“Under G*d.” “In G*d We Trust.” “So Help Me G*d.” Woe is me! Why? The hullabaloo on the “G*d” word is rapidly spinning out of control! What’s fascinating is that the judges ruling against the “G*d” word are placing themselves in contempt of court. How’s that for messed up? All because whenever an oath of truth is made, the “G*d” comes up every time: “So help me, G*d!”
What are we gonna do now? Will the oaths being made have to either drop the “G*d” word altogether or will it be changed to “so help me, Supreme Being!” Oh, c’mon now, members of the bench, it’s time for you to back off and simply rule that the use of the “G*d” word can remain unspoken whenever the Pledge of Allegiance is being spoken out loud. As for printed or engraved materials, there are two alternatives: 1) leave well enough alone as it’s part of history, or 2) let’s go for broke (literally) and require that Allah, Buddha, etc. each have their own version of whatever is being used. This would be in much the same manner as material printed in bilingual documents. Seriously, the atheists and agnostics and non-G*d believers should learn to tolerate other beliefs as long as no harm is being inflicted. How about it, folks? Our lives are already complex enough without having to worry about changing things that are not “assault weapons of mass destruction.”
David-Kim Simpson
via e-mail
Ensign listened
Marriage has been under fire for some time by liberal special interests—but now it’s in danger of being burned to the ground. And Sen. Reid has helped light the match. By contrast, Sen. Ensign voted for the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, reassuring constituents like us that our views do matter to those we put into office. This is unlike Reid, who obviously doesn’t care about our views or concerns. We’d all be wise to remember who stood for traditional values—and who didn’t—the next time Ensign and Reid ask for our support. I’m supporting someone who listens to my voice. Isn’t that why they’re in office to begin with, to represent our voice? A big thank you to Sen. Ensign for listening.
Brenda Schmidt
Henderson