Let’s get serious about the pirate problem

To the editor:

Regarding the issue of Somali pirating and rogue killings:

I do not believe there should be any trades, deals made or prisoners taken when we encounter pirates. When another vessel approaches, appropriate warning should be given. If this is not acknowledged, open fire.

No one is taking these pirates seriously. The port that they use should also be completely eliminated. We tell officials in the home country they have a certain amount of time to clean it up and get rid of these people, or we come in and glass the entire region.

Pirates taken should have been hung on board the day they were taken, and in the future should not be taken at all. Sink them right where they float.

Wayne Abercrombie

North Las Vegas

Signs, signs

To the editor:

I certainly got a chuckle out of the Road Warrior's Feb. 23 column. In it, she was asked by a man named Kevin if there was a law against all of the trashy signs folks put up on telephone poles for carpet cleaning, lawn service, handyman services, etc. The Road Warrior's answer was that, yes, this was illegal and, in fact, there was a hot line, 229-6615, to report those signs.

My laugh came from the fact that the city actually thinks it needs a hot line when all a city employee would have to do would be to drive down any street in any part of town. If that employee couldn't find the signs, then he/she should be put out to pasture in favor of someone with decent vision. They are everywhere and are a blight on the city.

My second chuckle comes from the city's inability to see the cash cow this is. If the fine was $100 per violation, a $20-per-hour employee could generate at least $1,000 revenue an hour for the city by writing only 10 citations per hour. And that employee would not have to work hard at figuring out who to fine -- he/she could just call the numbers on those trashy signs.

For cash-strapped Las Vegas, this should be a "duh" moment.

Bob Ashby

Las Vegas