We must take global warming seriously
To the editor:
Syndicated columnist Walter E. Williams’ latest diatribe about global warming is full of his usual errors, half-truths and misleading conclusions (Review-Journal, Sept. 28). Of course, he is completely wrong in his statement that there is “increasing evidence that man-made carbon dioxide is not a significant greenhouse gas and contributor to climate change.” If he would read the referred scientific literature rather than industry-financed Internet sites he would learn that just the opposite is true.
One of his examples in his latest column is that “there was an explosion of life forms 550 million years ago (Cambrian Period) when carbon dioxide levels were 18 times higher than today.” We are supposed to conclude that high levels of carbon dioxide are good for life. My research specialty is Cambrian paleontology, and I can tell you that the rapidly rising levels of CO? in the Cambrian Period were accompanied by a major mass extinction event that, among other effects, completely wiped out the world’s tropical reef ecosystems for about 40 million years.
Global warming due to our greenhouse-gas-emitting lifestyle is a real phenomenon. We need to take it very seriously.
Stephen M. Rowland
HENDERSON
THE WRITER IS A PROFESSOR OF GEOLOGY AT UNLV.
ICE raids
To the editor:
I read the article the other day about the immigration crackdown in the Reno area. It’s almost laughable.
There’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement telling the citizens of Nevada, “Look here. We’re cracking down on illegal immigration like you wanted us to do.” But what did they do? They busted a few McDonald’s and caught a few illegals.
If they really wanted to show the citizens of Nevada and the country they mean business, they’d be raiding some of the big hotel-casinos on the Strip. But that might be considered politically incorrect.
A large percentage of the people cleaning hotel rooms on the Strip cannot even speak English. Same with a lot of the kitchen help. If they were to raid one of the bigger places on the Strip, they’d probably get 500 or 600 illegals.
The argument from the “rights” groups is that the illegals have rights. But the only right they have is to go back where they came from. As a U.S. citizen, try going to Mexico or any other country in the world and breaking their immigration, identity and employment laws. Then tell them you have rights. See how far you’ll get. Jail and deportation.
Come to this country legally and I’m all for it. Sneak in and break our laws by using identity theft to get jobs you don’t deserve, and you should face the consequences.
Robert Pratt
LAS VEGAS
Re-election effort
To the editor:
Rep. Jon Porter deserves the criticism that Erin Neff heaps on him in her Sunday column. But come on. Is he really so different from others?
We (the public) have glorified political office and made it possible for holding office to become a career. We have begun to believe that political parties are there to serve us, and we fail to do our homework when we do vote. Rep. Porter does what 99 percent of all office holders do — he makes getting re-elected job No. 1. He shifts positions and says and does whatever is required to stay in office.
Instead of singling out Rep. Porter or anyone else, Ms. Neff should try writing about public apathy, uniformed voters and all the foolish voters who return people to office year after year and who believe that the country’s salvation would be at hand if we just elected enough Democrats or enough Republicans.
In case it hasn’t been noticed, human nature remains at play here. Being a politician is a great job – and one most politicians want to keep. If we want something other than the status quo, we need to vote for someone new when election time comes — and keep doing it until we see results that please us. That’s the way to stop people such as Jon Porter — as well as 99 percent of all politicians — from telling us what we want to hear and then doing whatever keeps them in office.
Michael K. Casler
LAS VEGAS
Wind gusts
To the editor:
Regarding the recent Associated Press article on the “greening of Hollywood”: Those movie stars calling for green power and world peace should protest the new coal-fired power plants proposed by Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific Resources to provide electricity for Las Vegas, including the lights on the Las Vegas Strip.
Coal-fired power plants would use coal shipped from Wyoming, 900 miles from Las Vegas. It takes three to five gallons of oil to bring each ton of coal to Nevada with the most efficient of trains.
In fact, the stars and casino owners should invest their money in wind turbines and transmission lines to provide the power that lights up the night sky with all the Las Vegas entertainment centers.
According to the American Wind Energy Association, installed wind energy generating capacity in the United States is now 9,149 megawatts. Nevada’s basin and range topography is ideal for wind power production.
caroline lowman
RENO
