New cellphone law hardly an imposition
To the editor:
Why all the complaining about the new cellphone laws? Nobody is saying you can’t talk and drive — all you need is a hands-free device.
And I found laughable the Saturday Review-Journal editorial about the justification for pulling to the side of the road on a busy freeway to take a call — the child in trouble or the boss calling you back early from lunch. Let’s be honest here, those instances are rare. Why do people act as if every phone call is life or death?
I’d venture to say that 99 percent of all phone calls can wait 10 to 15 minutes to be returned.
Here’s a brilliant idea: You could take the next freeway exit, and I’ll bet there’s a gas station or shopping center with a nice parking lot within 50 feet or so of the offramp. Really. I’ve seen them. That way you can handle any so-called emergencies without endangering my life.
I challenge all of you “I’m so important I must take this call now” people to try this plan for a week. I promise you, the world will not end.
Gina Muscari
Las Vegas
Pothead hippies
To the editor:
In response to the Saturday letter from Randall Buie, “Patriotic protests”:
I have read the ridiculous so-called grievances and demands from the rag-tag, recycled, burned-out group of pothead hippies who are currently occupying Wall Street and marching in other cities.
None other than George Soros provides the financial backing for this group, by the way. Also, the money-laundering unions have joined in (the union leadership takes union dues and donates them to the Democratic Party, which in turn enacts regulations and laws that favor the unions, thus legal money-laundering).
So, we have the usual cadre of socialists, mind-numbed robots, lazy, worthless students who have never held a job or paid taxes, and the typical gimme-gimme-gimme “you owe me” group of freeloaders.
The irony is that these brown-shirt foot soldiers of the Obama administration are protesting the Wall Street banks and corporations, which are some of the largest contributors to his campaign.
President Obama cannot run on his dismal economic and foreign policy record, so his only chance for re-election is to ratchet up class warfare among the masses and gin up protests in the streets.
Anyone who has any amount of gray matter in his head has to laugh at this group’s demands. Here are just a few:
– A guaranteed living wage regardless of employment. (In other words, why work?)
— Single-payer health care. (Guess who pays for this?)
— The decommissioning of all nuclear power plants.
— Eliminate the use of fossil fuels. (Transportation reverts back to bicycles and ox carts.)
— One trillion dollars for rebuilding infrastructure and $1 trillion for environmental restoration. (Again, who pays?)
— The elimination of all debt (personal, national and all foreign countries).
If you are not shaking your head at the incredulity and stupidity of these demands by now — well, maybe you should also just slip on your Birkenstocks and tiptoe through the tulips.
Warren Willis Sr.
Las Vegas
War zones
To the editor:
It is going to be an interesting election year, measured, perhaps, not by who is most acceptable as president of the United States, but rather by who is least vilified.
It is beyond exasperating to hear Republican candidates for the highest office sniping at the president about his citizenship or flag pin or how he salutes the American flag. Then they go at each other about who is the most pure conservative regarding taxes, abortion and gay marriage, while at the same time American troops are being shot at, blown up by IEDs and urged to leave in Afghanistan and Iraq.
No one in the Republican Party — with the exception perhaps of Rep. Ron Paul — or among sacrosanct tea partiers has advocated the disengagement from the 10-year-old wars in the Middle East. And the silence from Democrats regarding these costly conflicts — in men and materiel — is deafening.
What is the solution? Don’t expect any politicians to abandon their positions on the hot-button issues or to suggest the one circumstance that might bring a quick end to both wars is to reinstitute the draft. Doing so would be a much-needed way to replace the “support our troops” and “God bless America” bumper stickers with real, live action.
If you really believe in the necessity of these wars, put on a uniform and head out.
John Esperian
Las Vegas
Horse play
To the editor:
One of the duties each generation has is to rise above what has been before. It is called growth. The Sunday Associated Press article (“BLM to catch thousands of wild horses”) by Martin Griffith does readers no service.
The range has no problem supporting millions of horses, elk, deer, antelope, sage grouse and umpteen species of grass. The range also makes way for the mighty predator. But once juvenile and greedy “decisionmakers” stir the pot, all hell breaks loose. The range is degraded because of overuse by cattle and sheep.
The Taylor Grazing Act was enacted to control the grazing, but was placed under the authority of ranchers and their kin — problem continues. Capacity diminishes.
The wild horses and burros have been DNA tested, and despite the ridiculous claim that they are feral and runaway domestic nags, the majority of horses out there have bloodlines as pure as the day they came over on the boats with the Spaniards. You will see horses out there that are descendants of those Napoleon used in his campaigns, horses that Queen Isabella allowed to be brought over.
They are extremely trainable, and those over 10 are actually the best — but you have to respect the horse.
Please do not rely on this type of media report for your exposure to the real world.
Janet Schultz
El Dorado Hills, Calif.
