Letters to the editor for Sunday, June 19, 2016

Tax on fossil fuel is not answer to climate change

Whether you believe in the big bang theory or that God created this planet, the climate has been changing ever since its appearance. Scientists can prove the changes, but not the causes. Now some people are speculating that the change we are going through now is caused by fossil fuel used by people. Did fossil fuel cause climate change before people were on this planet?

Maybe there are other causes of climate change. Could it be our planet is closer to the sun now? Maybe we are getting more heat and energy from the sun? Maybe the molten mass in the center of the earth is heating up? Maybe the earth has shifted on its axis, changing our weather patterns? Scientists cannot prove anything for sure. It is all speculation.

This I do know — some people want the government to tax fossil fuel suppliers to curb consumption. They want to pass the tax collected back to the consumer. That is all we need is another wasteful government agency. The only people hurt by this scheme is the low income, working people and retired seniors. The energy companies will just pass on this new tax to the consumer. The rich don’t care; they can afford to pay more.

If you really believe climate change is caused by humans using fossil fuel and you have not stopped using everything created by fossil fuel, then you are a hypocrite. For us who do not believe your hype, just leave us alone.

Laurence C. Pederson

Carson City

Poetic tribute to Muhammad Ali

The noted Hollywood director, Mr. Tom Gries, who was directing Muhammad Ali’s life story, received a copy of this epic from me while I was on one of their Miami Beach film sets — shortly after, while playing tennis, Tom had a heart attack and passed away. I don’t know whether Muhammad had ever seen this ... and if it did reach him, the paradox is that it never GOT to him, in view of his few, final and futile attempts to reign in the boxing ring — without requiem!

Lines to a boxer maximus

(To Muhammad Ali)

The resilient ropes that encircle the “ring”

Are not the “lines” of which I sing —

It’s more than just that

Rife rat-a-tat-tat

Of the leather speed bag that makes one King;

It’s not the number of K.O.’s that count

Or the cheers and shouts which blatantly mount

Which cloud only fear

When headlines appear

As you take of yourself a truthful account;

You suddenly see life’s grand episodes

Have brought you to one of your major crossroads,

And in viewing each “crown”

You decide to step down

As your inner self speaks of statelier modes —

Then “boom!” from the heavens there thunders a “call”

Muhammad Ali, you’re made not to fall —

But next to me

I’m still, you see,

The Greatest, and only God of all —

So you hang up your gloves — not in requiem,

But “as one who loves his fellow men”

And lo and behold,

In that “book of gold,”

A new name appears, and above “Ben Adhem!”

(May your tribe also increase).

Thane Cornell

Carson City

Attorney General Laxalt politicized Orlando shooting

Adam Laxalt, the Attorney General, lost no time politicizing the tragedy in Orlando. Instead of taking the opportunity to simply express his sorrow, he had to launch yet another gratuitous attack on President Obama.

I am sure his party leader, Herr Fuhrer Trump, is happy to see that Laxalt has jumped on his train to hell.

Linda Deacy

Carson City

Obama’s visit to Hiroshima was disrespectful

What a relief it was to read Guy Farmer’s article about the president’s visit to Hiroshima. What a slap in the face to America and to our men who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor and those who fought in the South Pacific, added to the atrocities that were dealt to them as prisoners. Every word that Guy wrote in that article, it was if I was the writer.

I too with my husband in a wheelchair have visited the Pearl Harbor Arizona memorial. I saw the younger generation on the memorial laughing and being disrespectful for what that memorial stands for. They seemed to think it was a big joke when we stood there with tears in our eyes.

He served his country during World War II in the South Pacific on a Navy tanker, living on a disaster waiting to happen. The enemy was always on the lookout for them because a tanker was the lifeline fueling the ships, coming home to battle PTSD. When he went for treatment they told him to go home, get a job and suck it up. Thank you, President Truman, for doing what you did to end the war.

I see my country going down the tubes. We need someone with backbone to take our country back. I think maybe a high fence along the border and immigration back like it was run before my time, good old Ellis Island.

American, you are going to have a lot more men that can’t suck it up before this is over.

Agnes Williams

Carson City

Gun control leaves citizens vulnerable to terrorists

Plans are being made to cut down on people’s access to guns, but this is creating a problem with many people. Many people don’t like it because they say it is a violation of the Second Amendment (all citizens have the right to bear arms). If these bills pass into laws, all citizens will have no way to protect themselves from terrorist threats like ISIS. So our U.S. citizens will be unarmed and scared from threats of terrorism.

I believe there should be no gun control measures because the amendment says we have the right to have guns. I also believe that if the public is unarmed, we will be more prone to terrorist attacks because terrorists will know that we are unable to protect ourselves.

Graeme Eckery

Dayton