LETTERS: Sandoval takes wrong stance on refugees

Claiming that he wants to keep Nevadans safe, Gov. Brian Sandoval wants to delay relocation to Nevada any Syrian refugees (“Plan to accept refugees attacked,” Tuesday Review-Journal). Presumably, this is because one of the terrorists in Paris may have been posing as a Syrian refugee. By refusing relocation to our state, we could avoid allowing a terrorist to our midst.

However, also among the Paris terrorists were citizens of Belgium and France. Using Gov. Sandoval’s logic, we should not allow any citizen of Belgium or France to move to Nevada. Given that one does not need to relocate to Nevada to commit a terrorist act, the governor should also prohibit any citizens from France or Belgium to travel here on student or tourist visa, as well.

But wait, the majority of 9/11 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia. Gov. Sandoval will need to add them to the exclusion list, too.

Clearly, refusing Syrian refugees’ relocation to Nevada will do nothing to keep us safer. But it will play well politically with those who have an underlying fear of immigrants and are afraid of those who don’t look like most of us or speak our language. My grandparents were refugees fleeing war in Europe. My wife’s parents were refugees. They were non-Christian immigrants who didn’t look like the majority of Americans or speak English. On their behalf, I say to Gov. Sandoval, shame on you.

Stanley Cohen

Henderson

Halt refugee influx

The latest terrorist attack in Paris by radical Muslims should be a wakeup call to the United States and those encouraging the acceptance of any refuges coming from the Middle East. Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communication, said the refugees this administration wants to bring here would be properly screened. That is simply a lie, as there aren’t any records of who these people are.

Many refugees who arrived in Europe were young men, 20 to 30 years old, who could easily be terrorists. ISIS has already stated that it is planting its people among the refugees fleeing to Europe. The investigation of the Paris attack proved one individual gained entry to France by posing as a refugee.

We should not accept one person from the Middle East, as we do not know them or their intentions. Congress can and must stop this. The people in this country are sick and tired of our porous borders — we don’t know who is entering and living here. This madness has to cease.

Speaking as a retired federal agent who conducted background investigations of military personnel, I believe it is highly probable that many potential terrorists will enter this county if the United States welcomes tens of thousands of refugees from Syria and other countries. Have our government representatives forgotten 9/11?

Michael O. Kreps

Las Vegas

Toughest Mudder

The Review-Journal’s coverage of the World’s Toughest Mudder race was an affront to the people who competed in it (“Some real tough mudders,” Monday edition). The male winner ran 95-plus miles over 400 obstacles, including rope climbs, barbed wire crawls, quarter-pipe assents, 850 feet of elevation gain on each lap (more than a mile over the course of the race) and a 38-foot cliff jump that he had to complete every lap he ran after midnight (more than nine cliff jumps).

Every lap put competitors in the water no fewer than seven times (assuming they didn’t fail any obstacles, which could bring that total to 11 per lap). While thousands of people ran the Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and Half-Marathon, these athletes ran the distance of two and three marathons in 24 hours. Give me a break. These athletes deserve more than a headline. At the very least, it should be a headline that does the event justice.

Phoebe Brimer

Las Vegas

Transplant waitlists

It was surprising to read that wealthy patients might be favored on an organ transplant waiting list (“Report finds wealthy patients may be favored on organ transplant wait lists,” Nov. 10 Review-Journal online). According to the article, patients with more money can afford to submit their names to multiple transplant lists, as they can better afford the cost of travel to different transplant centers.

Middle-class patients who live from paycheck to paycheck are unable to spend the kind of money it takes to travel to different transplant centers. Does this mean that the middle-class population is less likely to survive while waiting for an organ transplant, because they don’t have enough money to travel to another center? If so, then something needs to be done. There should be a limit to the number of transplant lists one can submit their name to, so that everyone is equal in having a fighting chance at life.

Bryanna Fox

Las Vegas