Letters to the editor for Sunday, May 4, 2014

Bundy can’t adjust to new land attitudes

Supporters of outlaw rancher Cliven Bundy now try to separate his racism from what they view as his principled stand on federal management of public lands. I’m not so sure.

It’s easy to see Bundy’s comments about slavery as indicative of a man who is having a hard time adjusting to the social realities of modern America. But it’s apparently harder to see that Bundy’s attitudes toward modern management of public lands reflect a similar difficulty in coming to terms with America’s changing priorities with regard to the environment.

Public lands in areas like Nevada were once viewed as “wasteland” by most Americans, who cared little about what happened to them. So their users got nearly a free ride. Do what you want. But that changed when the environmental movement became a force in American life.

Now Americans view public lands as a treasure to be managed carefully for competing interests, including its habitat value. And public land management has evolved to reflect that. So Bundy and other users of public lands are being asked to operate within constraints they often don’t like. And some are having a hard time making that adjustment.

But just as success in the modern urban workplace will go to those who are comfortable with increasing social diversity, success in the outback will go to those who are comfortable with harmonizing their use of public lands with Americans’ desire for proper treatment of those lands over the long term.

Terry Burnes

Gardnerville

Man, not God, put horses in Nevada

Fairy tales. Emotions, good! Let them guide your actions and demonstrations. Facts? Don’t go there! They will only confuse you. I like horses and other four-legged creatures. But do horses deserve the folklore and reverence of all about them? The “wild” horse gang declares they’re here “as God intended.” This presumes that the Europeans who brought the horses to the western hemisphere were acting on instructions from the Almighty. (The horses and burros here today are not descended from native equines that died out in prehistoric times.)

But surely feral horses deserve the same reverence and protection as all other free-roaming creatures. Over-population of various species are kept in check by wild predators and human hunters. We eat deer, elk, bear, moose, sheep, pronghorn, cows, bison. Isn’t it time to accept reality and get the surplus equines off the range, where they unfairly compete with all the others that were “put there by God?”

Larry Taylor

Carson City

New shelter a priority for city’s quality of life

I think that people should help CASI (Carson Animal Services Initiative). The pound we have now was built in 1960 when there were only 5,000 people in Carson City. We are now at 55,000 people which means that there are more animals to take care of and might get lost. Also since the structure was built in 1960 the foundation structure is unsafe, the plumbing is faulting, there is a lack of space,and the heating and cooling is broken. In my opinion there has to be a new animal shelter soon.

CASI has made over $71,000 from fundraisers and grants, but they need millions to build the structure. You can help by donating at the local shelter or by adopting a pet form the local shelter and saving an animal’s life.

Ethan Ramirez

Carson City

Biased paper favors baseball over soccer

How sad that these talented soccer players can’t even get any recognition for sweeping the Comstock tournament and getting first place in U14, U15, and U16 and we have to send our own pictures in to get even a sentence of recognition. But plaster pictures and articles on Carson’s baseball team every time they play even though they are in seventh place. Yes, seventh place.

You have sooooo much talent in soccer and you don’t give them the time of day. How biased is this paper?

Stan Heinrichs

Carson City

Recognize the dangers of driving with pets

In many families, pets are treated like children. So much so that they can be seen riding inside of vehicles. One can see canines hanging their heads out the window catching the wind or draped over the arms of the driver. Felines are observed lounging on the rear deck or dashboard. What are the dangers of allowing your pets to roam inside the vehicle while you are driving?

Apart from distractions and possible interference with the operation of the vehicle, take into consideration what happens when you are involved in a crash. For this example, I will use a front-end collision with your vehicle travelling at 40 mph hour. Once the vehicle has impacted into another object and forward momentum has stopped, loose items inside the vehicle will be propelled forward travelling at the same speed that the vehicle was going before impact.

They will continue until they come into contact with a solid surface that stops them. And in a second factor of air bag deployment (for newer model vehicles) and the pet that is in your lap or draped over your arm is going to get hurt.

We secure ourselves and our human children in restraints to protect us in crashes, so why do we not do the same with pets? Harnesses are available for your canines. Pet carriers are available for smaller pets that will offer protection also.

Many of these are tested for strength and durability just as child restraint seats are. Do your research to ensure that they meet safety standards.

Sgt. Scott McDaniel

Carson City Sheriffs Office