Saturday, November 06, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
LETTERS: Boggs McDonald not embraced by all
To the editor:
Your Tuesday photo of Lynette Boggs McDonald receiving a congratulatory hug from the spokeswoman of Station Casinos sums up the Clark County Commission District F election. Commissioner Boggs McDonald was backed by developers and gaming companies and still barely had the majority of the vote.
I'm very disappointed with the results of this race and hope Commissioner Boggs McDonald realizes that the residents of District F want results. Curb the overgrowth taking place in this area and concentrate on the infrastructure sorely needed in our neighborhoods.
MARK SURRA
LAS VEGAS
`Pinky' power grab
To the editor:
Before Sen. Tom Daschle's political corpse had a chance to cool, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid was hard at work making his play for power. As Sen. Daschle's underling, "Pinky," I'm sure, has learned all the obstructionist ways and is ready to advance them.
During Pinky's campaign, he touted himself as "independent like Nevada." If he is made the minority leader of the Senate, he will have the chance to prove it. I am hopeful that Sen. Reid will set aside the obstructionist practices employed by himself and Sen. Daschle over the years, but I won't be holding my breath.
ALAN ZAUDKE
LAS VEGAS
Family Court
To the editor:
Congratulations to those candidates who challenged incumbents in Family Court and to those in the grass-roots effort that protested said judges.
For those parents who have been ruined by Family Court and believe change is impossible, they should take a look at Bob Gaston and Robert Lueck, the two judges who lost their re-election bids to Stefany Miley and Sandra Pomrenze, respectively.
This should send a message to all other Family Court judges: We will no longer allow you to divide families. We will no longer sit idle while irresponsible decisions are made by those in black robes.
Now we assert to the new judges that we expect our civil rights and equal protection to be upheld. The best parent in a divorce is both parents.
ALAN R. DiCICCO
HENDERSON
The writer is president of the Coalition for Family Court Reform.
Fear the future
To the editor:
Four more years. To Michael Moore and Co., better luck next time.
There is only thing that really scares me now: Hillary in 2008.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
JOE MISKECH
LAS VEGAS
Better first lady
To the editor:
No one has put their finger on the reason for President Bush's victory Tuesday. As a staunch conservative Republican, I love to hear the pundits talk about all the reasons for the win. But to me, it came down to one very subtle move in the last three days of the campaign.
At the end, Laura Bush was in virtually every picture with the president, and the Democrats tried to hide the increasingly embarrassing Teresa Heinz Kerry. There is no question in my mind that with all the issues that were debated and dissected, there were millions of Americans, including myself, who could not imagine Mrs. Heinz Kerry as the first lady of our country.
Thank you, Laura Bush.
JEFF LEONARD
LAS VEGAS
Ready for war
To the editor:
As a World War II Navy veteran who voluntarily did his part in saving the world for democracy, I can tell you, I am more than furious at those who thoughtlessly voted in a barely literate, sanctimoniously lying Bible thumper for an unbelievably stupid second term as president of the United States.
Just say the word, those of you who might organize a response to this abomination of the electoral process, and I will eagerly put in my arch supports and march off to another war.
DICK BECKLEY
LAS VEGAS
Seeing red
To the editor:
Look closely at the post-election map of the United States that shows the states won by President Bush colored red.
From Montana and North Dakota through Colorado and Kansas, all the way down to Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia, and through to benighted Florida, it looks exactly like a spreading sea of blood or red ink. How appropriate.
Brace yourself, America. With four more years of this president and this administration you voted to keep, you had better become inured to this as reality, not just a map color.
GEORGE ROBERTSON
LAS VEGAS
Election Day miracle
To the editor:
I am a Republican and voted as such. In the weeks leading up to the election, I felt that if President Bush were re-elected it would truly be a miracle. The Bush bashing was unconscionable. With the likes of Michael Moore and his spiteful film, Leonardo DiCaprio and his Hollywood cohorts, George Soros and his millions, Bruce Springsteen and his rock stars, Dan Rather and his liberal news accounts and the media in general pumping up the Kerry campaign, it seemed like impossible odds to overcome.
But it is the ordinary voters who seemed to have ignored all of the above and voted the way they felt in their hearts. With a 3.5 million-vote lead, it certainly looks like the country found something it liked in our president, and I hope the Democrats can turn some of their venom into a more positive outlook and help our nation move forward.
HERB HANSEN
LAS VEGAS
Hail to preservation
To the editor:
Preservation of 8,000 acres in the northern Las Vegas Valley -- now we're talking. Did I read correctly in Thursday's edition ("Rare plant species found, altering developers' plans")? No development? No homes? No traffic? No crime? No trash? A moratorium on new homes?
What could cause this sensible, intelligent decision? Not the coyotes that have lost their homes and hunting grounds. Not the burrowing owls that have been plowed under by big machinery. Not the desert tortoises that are lost and confused, as well as other creatures that have lost the battle for their habitat.
No, it's because of two lowly plants. Hurrah for the Las Vegas bearpoppy and hurrah for the Las Vegas buckwheat, which need protection. They have succeeded where others have failed. Does this mean we will continue to enjoy hiking and horse trails in that area without fear of being pushed aside again?
Please don't think that the only people pleased with this discovery are desert botanists. There are more than 100 horseback riders in the northwest valley, and others who trailer their horses into the area, who regularly appreciate and enjoy the beauty of the wilderness and arroyos, untouched by traffic and noise. They will tell you that in order to keep balance in their lives, this open area is essential for mental clarity and serenity and greatly enhances our city.
MICKI JAY
LAS VEGAS
A blow to growth
To the editor:
I read your Thursday report on two rare plant species discovered in the northern valley. I live in the northwest area, and I am very happy that these two plant species were discovered near my home. It may not make developers happy if they have more difficulty bulldozing the land and putting up thousands of ticky-tack houses.
But I am extremely pleased at the thought that -- maybe -- this will be a factor in checking at least some of the rampant growth in what was once a rural area. So many animals have lost their homes in the past few years. None of this seems to matter to commissioners who keep granting zoning changes so developers can scar, scour, then pave over our beautiful desert.
VALERIE THURBER
LAS VEGAS
Gaming regulation
To the editor:
Your Friday editorial on the growth of gaming mentions "Nevada's competent and reliable regulatory apparatus."
Are you kidding? Because of the neglect of patron protection by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, cheating scandals and incidents such as the James Grosjean case ("Bettor's rights violated, jury finds," Friday's Business section) and other violent crimes committed by casino employees against skilled patrons are allowed to happen.
The Gaming Control Board has reduced itself to merely being an extension of the casino industry. The control board does little or nothing to protect patrons against casino wrongdoing and cloaks itself in secrecy whenever possible. The Gaming Control Board's refusal to enforce laws written to protect casino patrons is an embarrassment to Nevada.
Casinos are de facto lawless territories in Nevada without any meaningful legal protection for the public. It is way past time for Gov. Kenny Guinn to clean house on the Gaming Control Board and replace do-nothing members with people who will take their responsibilities seriously.
AL ROGERS
LAS VEGAS
