Letters for November 27, 2014

Guns for everyone!

Re “I’ll be back pain” (Film, Jan. 24, 2013):

Leave your PC politics out of this. I love seeing guns!

Jack Batra

Dickinson, North Dakota

And now a word from our sponsor

Just a note to all disenchanted X listeners: Try a new FM station at 89.1. You might be pleasantly surprised. Pretty good mix of music and no commercials!

Bob Blake

Sparks

Sorry, not sorry.

Re “Nevada went red. That sucks” (Left Foot Forward, Nov. 13):

OMG, Mr. Editor! You have used trite and trivial teenaged slang to describe Ms. Leslie’s bitter account of the recent election. In doing so, you must realize the tragic and pathetic consequences to her. The seriously overused word suck(s), formerly used to describe a certain action reserved for various living organisms and vacuum cleaners, is routinely avoided by astute speechwriters and journalists as indicative of a seriously deficient vocabulary. Ms. Leslie has denied association with the slur and writes to me: “I don’t write the headlines, the editors do. I would never use that word in my writing.” You have placed the already not so sweet Little Sheila in the realm of stupid hillbillies and rural hicks, a voting group that she despises and Jonathon Gruber celebrates. So why don’t you do what politicians rarely do? Take responsibility and apologize. You’ll know her when you see her.

Don Bachman

Reno

If it ain’t broke

Re “Nevada went red. That rocks.” (Let Freedom Ring, Nov. 13):

In regard to Brendan Trainor’s comments in his recent column, he states that the Public Employer Retirement System, is on the brink of disaster. Where does Trainor get his information? The fact is that Nevada PERS is one of the best funded and managed retirement systems in America. PERS is over 70 percent funded and holds $31 billion in assets and the unfunded liability is being retired over the course of the next 23 years. I am sure that the Republicans who now control the Nevada senate and assembly are salivating at how to defund the pension system and get their hands on all that money. Just think of all the corperate welfare they could fund with it.

Look at the disaster that Detroit and the Illinois and the Rhode Island retirement systems have become to see what would happen. There is an aggressive movement afoot in this country to aggressively attack state and municipal pensions. This war isn’t just about money. It’s also about blame. In state after state, politicians are using scare tactics and lavishly funded PR campaigns to cast teachers, firefighters and cops—not bankers or the Wall Street crowd (who brought you the great crash of 2008) as the budget-devouring boogeymen responsible for the mounting fiscal problems of America’s states and cities.

You only have to look at the recent biased articles by the RGJ regarding the PERS system and state employees to see that this process has already begun here. Let’s not let that happen to the PERS system in Nevada. It is not broken and needs no interference or fixing by politicians.

Philip Hawkrigg

Reno

Don’t expect rationality

Re “Nevada went red. That rocks.” (Let Freedom Ring, Nov. 13):

I’m generally an optimist, and I would be so happy if Brendan Trainor’s wish for the newly elected Republicans would come true. Brendan hoped that the Republicans would not “squander their new political capitol on abortion, flag burning, drug wars, or gay bashing.” Instead, he is hoping for economic liberties restored (good luck with that one), and really proving they can govern by accomplishing immigration reform, corporate tax reform, and reforms of Obamacare [for Nevada]. Does anyone really think the tea party will now slink away and allow rational Republicans any room to govern?

No, my friend. Abortion, gay bashing, Obama bashing—all will sadly continue because the far-right continues to blindly follow an extreme ideology without ever fact checking for the truth. They will blindly believe Hannity (as an example) when he says, “Obama’s debt more than previous 43 presidents.” False! That lie has been circulating for a couple of years. Constantly repeating it does not suddenly make it true. You can hear something like this on Fox every single day and if you don’t bother to dig for the truth, you are simply repeating a lie at the water cooler. Sorry, Brendan. I sincerely hope you are right and Republicans wake up to the fact that they really can govern effectively for the American people if they pull back from the extremes and accomplish meaningful legislation with their president who, they may find, is willing to work with Congress if it benefits our citizens.

JR Reynolds

Reno

Family matters

Re “On paper” (News, Nov. 20):

It bothers me that Hansen will carry on his narrow and restrictive views in a larger forum than a newspaper column and on radio. He will actually be in a position to affect my life … now, that is terrifying. He is related to Janine Hansen Triggs, who fought so vigorously, and successfully, against the Equal Rights Amendment.

Ann Henderson

Las Vegas

Hope for homesick

Re “Time passages” (Editor’s note, Nov. 20):

I remember the selfish relief I felt when my boy phoned from California State University, Long Beach, homesick. Senior year was filled with events, awards, team celebrations. Right around January, the ground fell out from under my feet and the change didn’t become familiar until his call. You are right where you belong because you are there for him. Other than that, I think the Earth is spinning faster!

Montana Vincent

Hayden, Idaho

You ain’t seen nothing yet

Re “On paper” (News, Nov. 20):

This is a clear case of indecent exposure. You’ve exposed Hansen’s character to those of us who didn’t know much about him, and this collection of his viewpoints seems rather indecent. I shudder to think what commentary he might have been holding back in self-censorship, realizing that it would come off a bit extreme.

Gary Marks

Reno

Cops are the judges

One thing has not been disputed about Ferguson. Brown and Dorian Johnson were walking in the middle of the street, a citable offense. Cop tells them to get on the sidewalk,. The two blow him off and then events took their course. It would be interesting—strike that—it would be appalling to learn how many people think that this initial contact was an instance of “racial profiling.” Att. Gen. Eric Holder would no doubt be among them.

While not beyond dispute, evidence/leaks are suggesting rather strongly that Brown got highly confrontational with the cop. You do this, in my experience, you’re probably going to get hurt, and there’s a decent chance of getting shot. I know this from the 40 plus times I’ve been accosted by cops, including the time I had three Glocks trained on me. (Wow, what a grabber of a headline that would have made: Some Guy Shot And Killed By Cops.)

My opinion on this whole Ferguson thing? Well, put it this way. You could file it under Boo Effing Hoo.

Jim Toops

Reno