Letter: Writer should heed heartbeat of Dayton

It would be that when I read a commentary on life in Dayton, Nevada, it would be done by a knowledgeable journalist or even an amateur writer with a heart for the beat of our town.

Ms. Susie Vasquez makes a point for the historic values of our little settlement without the understanding needed to write about this overkill sign media attention. It has now been over two weeks that Mia's Restaurant has had a facelift. Hardly no one has bothered to observe. Blatantly emblazoned over the front of the business establishment is a very proper historic sign that reads "Odeon Hall and Saloon" as was originally shown in a photograph of the same building back in the early '30s.

Mia and Max have not publicized the event and have patiently waited for someone to notice. What a hullabaloo was made on the removal and such little publicity has been given to the fact that at owners' expense, they have tried their best to make "someone" happy.

Were we real concerned historians, we would laud them for their effort. But then again you would have to be a caring Daytonite and not a part of the news hungry media who has made a circus of the sign saga at Mia's.

Most of our writers these days are not native Nevadans and are, as far as I can detect, imports from other states where they use Nevada for a training and internship stepstone. Others are politically motivated writers who report every little nuance of politically correct meetings without ever writing about the general public's concerns. Others use the paper and media with their axes to grind.

Max and Mia have only their labors and challenges in life to live by while those of us who amble on through life with little to do take part in harassing or defending our fellow man. They have their pride, a thing Americans are quickly losing because rebelling against city hall has been such a losing battle. Our politicians quickly learn how to sit precariously on either side of the fence. Our judicial system lives only for plea bargaining and compromise and mostly scare tactics.

Here in Dayton lately, the scare tactics have been most noticeable. Max and Mia took a stand in their beliefs and I admire their spunk. I only wish I had as much pride as they have displayed. I only wish we would learn from them and not be afraid to stand up for our God-given rights and also those of our Constitution.

Oh yes, today if we quote any parts of our Constitution, we are considered radical and perhaps even "Constitutionalists." However, what we fail to see is the desire to remember that we were once allowed, through the deaths of many patriots, the freedom of speech and to cower to no man.

Where oh where have our liberties gone? Where oh where does our banner proudly fly? (A notice of very few flags on our Fourth of July.) Where oh where is the land of the free? Let's ask ourselves, "Where oh where is our future America?

LEE SOMMERS

Dayton