Wednesday, December 24, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

LETTERS: Nothing wrong with making holidays inclusive

To the editor:

In response to the Dec. 21 letter by Gina Duran ("Political Correctness killing Christmas traditions"):

Ms. Duran wonders why "winter" celebrations fall around the Christmas holiday. The answer is that the winter solstice was celebrated by cultures in the Northern hemisphere for centuries before the emergence of Christianity. Both primitive and "civilized" cultures celebrated the solstice, which represents the point on the calendar at which the days begin to become longer. The solstice marks the beginning of the coming of spring, with its promise of warmth and renewal.

Because solstice celebrations have been around much longer than Christmas, it seems likely that the timing of Christmas was set to correspond to the older celebration, rather than vice versa.

If one wanted to know when the first Christmas "really" occurred, one might consult Scripture. According to Luke (2:8), "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night." Under most circumstances, shepherds do "by night" what the rest of us do "by night": They sleep.

Shepherds must keep watch over the flock by night during lambing season, when ewes giving birth might require assistance. Lambing season in the Middle East occurs in early to mid-March. Therefore, a celebration of Christmas which is biblically accurate would happen in early spring. Presumably, anyone concerned with the "wrong" observance of the holiday season will hold off on the gift-giving until around Ash Wednesday.

I, for one, applaud the efforts of the Challenger school to make the holiday season inclusive, and to refrain from making Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists and other non-Christians feel like second-class members of the community. Observances of the winter solstice are much older than Christianity, and are not the property of any single religious tradition.

TED G. JELEN

LAS VEGAS

Car wash

To the editor:

Now that the Las Vegas City Council has decided the water shortage is not severe enough to close down the fountains and waterfalls for business establishments -- as long as they save water elsewhere -- I was wondering if private citizens could do the same.

If and when the water authority decides to not allow the rest of us to wash our automobiles, could I circumvent this ruling by taking one less shower per week, and using this water to wash my car?

ROBERT KUNEMUND

LAS VEGAS

Wouldn't matter

To the editor:

In response to your recent story on the spate of car crashes involving teenagers and the renewed debate on graduated licensing: How would the graduated licensing have stopped any of these horrible tragedies? Let's take a look.

In the Henderson incident, in which three boys were killed and two injured, the driver had had a license for only nine weeks, they were out after curfew and not wearing seatbelts. Laws were broken and yet we want to pass another one that no doubt would have been broken also?

There are good kids out there, and families who rely on these kids for help in transportation. They should not be punished because others break laws that are already in place.

In another incident cited, Ashley Toester didn't even have a license and was speeding. How would graduated licensing have prevented this terrible tragedy?

My heart goes out to these teenagers' families. No one is perfect, and certainly we cannot always prevent our children from making bad choices. But the choices these teens made obviously would not have changed had the graduated licensing been in effect.

Please don't punish everyone else by instituting laws that would not have changed the outcome of these tragedies.

WANDA J. JOHNSON

HENDERSON

On fire

To the editor:

As a former volunteer fireman in Washington state, I am proud that President Bush chose to favor human beings over brush-choked, insect-infested forests by signing the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to help to prevent catastrophic wildfires and strengthen America's long-term forest health. The legislation will help save the lives of firefighters and citizens, and protect threatened and endangered animals.

As a nation, we have watched helplessly as parts of America were devastated by wildfires that displaced families, ruined communities and took many lives. In the past two years alone, forest fires burned nearly 11 million acres. President Bush understands the necessity to manage forest and rangelands to protect the land and prevent further destruction caused not only by fires, but also disease and infestation of insects. When we drove up to Navajo and Panguich Lakes last summer, we noticed the many thousands of dead and diseased trees in an unhealthy forest.

By working with Congress, he achieved bipartisan support for a bill that will not only protect endangered species, but also protect our nation's forests and nearby communities for generations to come. As a result of President Bush's focused and effective leadership on forest health, his vision has become law. The Healthy Forests Restoration Act 2003 will aid in safeguarding our pristine lands by implementing a more effective and timely process to protect communities, wildlife, and watersheds from catastrophic fires.

Thank God, Albert Arnold Gore Jr. is not president because we know he would never cut down a dead tree. He would rather imitate a tree, and cut down his friends (snubbing his former running mate, Joe Lieberman).

KEVIN MANIX

LAS VEGAS

Drug war

To the editor:

In a recent editorial, you correctly state that while in prison, "inmates should be without drugs and alcohol while serving their time." You'd think so, wouldn't you? But the reality is that despite being surrounded by concrete walls, razor wire and 24-hour armed guards, any prison inmate with the desire and the cash can buy any drug he wants, at any time. If we can't keep drugs out of maximum security prisons, how can we ever hope to keep them out of the hands of the general population?

We will never win the drug war as long as we continue to rely on law enforcement and forced morality models. Drug rehabilitation, along with education and prevention, is money well spent, paying dividends many times over the initial cost.

GREG FRANCISCO

PAW PAW, MICH.