Letters to the editor

Upset by comments about supervisor

I have never read such hateful venom spewing from the pen of anyone in my life! Well, it has been said "the pen is mightier than the sword." I just could not believe what this Michael Robbins wrote in a letter Aug. 28. Unbelievable!

All of this name calling, directed at Supervisor Richard Staub: "He is an egotistical person, he doesn't need input from lowly riff-raff and he is a pompous attorney," and on and on! My my!

So, is Mr. Robbins a mind reader, or a psychiatrist when he said Mr. Staub didn't look into the eyes of the "unskilled speaker." Mr. Robbins also said Mr. Staub was indifferent and insolent when dealing with people. How does he know?

But he did say Mr. Staub was taking notes, so just how could he "look into the eyes of the unskilled speaker" when he was taking notes? Huh? Mr. Robbins?

Even if all this onslaught of name calling is political, it is unnecessary.

RHEBA MONTROSE

Carson City

No prima donnas in VC, only hard working people

It's been a while since I've written for this newspaper, mainly because retirement has led me in other directions with historical research and projects like Virginia City's sesquicentennial next June. Over the years I've enjoyed reading letters to the editor because they have always been a good source and reliable pulse about the opinions and attitudes of our neighbors in the capital city. Many have been amusing, some heartbreaking and only a very few have been difficult to get through, like Mr. Kreft's letter of Sunday last.

I've maintained over the years that history is not an exact science. Sometimes trying to find documentation about the embryo of a town, person or unscheduled event can be sketchy at best. You would think that after 150 years of recorded history and numerous books about Virginia City, there wouldn't be misinformation about the historical accuracy of what transpired up here. To state that Virginia City's mines petered out in 1875 when the town was in full bloom is absurd. 1875 was the third best production year, when $26 million was taken from the Comstock. 1876 was even better with $38 million and 1877 with $37 million. The great Comstock Lode didn't start to play out until 1879 when the mines produced only $7.4 million and started the decline of deep rock mining on the Comstock.

I might add that during the mid-1870s, 22,000 people were residing in Virginia City and Gold Hill, while about 3,500 were living in Carson City. Carson City would have to wait another century to reach those numbers when 22,200 were living in the capital city in 1973. This information is for Mr. Kreft so he can get a realistic grip on some historical facts. The fact is both Virginia City and Carson City have noble backgrounds. Both gave much to the state of Nevada, but to compare the two against each other is like comparing a basketball to a golf ball, while both are round, the rest is moot.

I'm offended by the tone of Mr. Kreft's letter. To infer that Virginia City was the glorious prima donna of the old west is to impugn the good name and character of a town that was built on the toil, sweat and death of the many who braved the harsh elements Virginia City threw at them, to make the town inhabitable in the first place. You won't find any prima donnas in Virginia City, only some hard-working people who take pride in its remarkable history. A pride that we've earned.

CHICK DIFRANCIA

Virginia City

A great jazz pianist in our midst

With all the talk about Jazz, I don't understand why one of the greatest, living Jazz pianists is never invited or mentioned. Big Tiny Little, a resident of Carson City, has been playing and pleasing audiences for 50 years. From his start with Lawrence Welk in the 1950's to the Emperor of the Sacramento Jazz Festival in 2006. He can be heard at the Station Grille in Carson City every Friday and Saturday night. You might stop by and enjoy a set.

DOUG JERNIGAN

Carson City