Letters to the Editor 12/27

Paslov's praise of Reid misses the point

The commentary of Dr. Eugene T. Paslov in which he heaps accolades on Sen. Reid "for managing a difficult political coup" does not go far enough. Conspicuous by its absence was any mention of Sen. Reid's buying the vote of a Louisiana senator for $300 million taxpayer dollars.

Further along the doctor criticizes the congressional conservatives "who are unraveling our democratic values." No, doctor, they are unraveling President Obama and Sen. Reid's socialist values.

Guy Wooley

Dayton

Abortion is wrong according to God's law

Regarding Nikki Campbell's Nov. 16 letter on abortion:

The fact every abortion takes a human life denies anyone's right to abort simply because, as Lincoln so eloquently stated, nobody has a right to do something morally wrong. It would be just as wrong to not speak out against the evil of abortion as it is to support it. It's called a sin of omission or complicity! Too bad someone couldn't have spoken to her before her planned abortions.

So, knowing "illegal abortions are butchery," as are all abortions, legal or illegal, she still thinks it's "OK" to kill the unborn?

As long as mankind ignores God's opinion, God will let us reap the fruits of our arrogant, immoral stupidity.

Mary Santomauro

Stagecoach

Letter writer plays loose with the truth

Letter writer Lynn Muzzy is long on accusations, short on facts. He says Sen. Reid has fallen from political grace - according to whom? Also, he says that Mr. Reid turned his back on moderation when he said we had lost the war in Iraq. Have we won? What is it that we have won? We have lost over 4,000 of our best and brightest, as well as respect of the world. The Iraq mess may cost us as much as $3 trillion and the only benefits reaped have been by Iran.

What kind of grease does one use on a complex, coercive socialized medicine bill? Resisters will get jail time - written where? I didn't know a bill had been passed.

Sen. Reid's major transgression was being unwilling to be ambushed by Fox. President Bush appeared on MSNBC when? Not.

Mr. Muzzy, please run against Sen. Reid in the next election. Let's see how many really agree with you. In the meantime, elections do in fact have consequences; the American people spoke last November and Sen. Reid is doing our bidding.

Warren Sprinkle

Carson City

Reid evades question on enumerated powers

In 2003, bills were introduced into Congress that would require all bills passed by Congress to pass Constitutional muster. That is the enumerated section and the 10th Amendment. I sent a copy of the Senate bill to Sen. Reid asking for his support. Here is his answer:

"I noted your particular support for local government. I agree with you that the federal government could be far more efficient and smaller, which is why I have supported numerous cuts to government programs during my time in office. I have, for example, advocated eliminating the Department of Energy, excessive farm subsidies and several regulatory entities. I will continue to push for the elimination of duplicative, needless or overly intrusive governmental bodies."

Do you think we can trust Sen. Reid?

Tony Klein

Minden

Right-wingers trying to revise history

I am sick of GOP revisionist history. After the near-decade of massive government expansion that was the Bush administration - with its middle-class-killing domestic policies, including tax breaks for the wealthiest while the rest of us bore the burden for that expansion, and a complicit, criminal lack of oversight that could have mitigated the mortgage crisis - as well as a legacy of legalized torture, illegal wars and well-earned world contempt - now the right frets about government takeover. On what world do they live?

The Obama administration has its faults. They allow these mean-spirited revisionists to shout down what they know is the truth. They apply the same, failed moderate principles to issues which need to be blown wide open and addressed honestly. They placate power-hungry hatemongers who should long ago have been rendered inconsequential. And it is growing very late, in a dark and dangerous world. We don't have time for this.

These are times for bold and radical action, for moving toward a more Christlike compassion in our politics and in our daily lives - love our neighbors as ourselves, representative government. There is no contradiction in these terms if we can reject hatred and resentment of the other and act as if we are a good and caring people. We are a great nation, and we could accomplish the greatest good for the greatest number if we simply reject the empty, hateful, quasi-religious rhetoric and revisionism spewed daily by far-right media and its tragically misguided proponents.

Leigh McGuire

Stagecoach

Look into your heart, and choose peace

Peace is possible. We no longer have the luxury of pointing fingers. We are a world community. We are interdependent and intertwined. Being in denial about this does not change reality.

We are all born; we will all die. While we are here, we have two choices: to live together happily in a world of overflowing abundance, loving kindness, joy - or to co-create a living hell.

Humanity will either work together to heal ourselves and our planet, or we will continue to think of 10,000 ways to hurt ourselves and each other. Every single one of us needs to look inside and ask, "which of these do I really want?"

In our heart of hearts, we will immediately know the answer. Act on it.

Be kind to somebody for no reason. Dare to see a difference of opinion from someone else's point of view. Forgive. Pitch in and help.

You think one person can't change the world? Think again. You change your world every time you move in compassion, in truth, in love. Guess what? Your world is my world. We are one human organism. Together we sink or swim. Being in denial about this does not change reality.

Shel Davis

Reno