Isn’t there a statute of limitations with Cain?
To the editor:
If the Republicans kick presidential candidate Herman Cain off the list of contenders because of his alleged sins, the GOP deserves whatever it gets in the 2012 presidential election.
Think of it: The front-runner sidelined because of unproven accusations that the political talking heads agree damage him beyond redemption. What 65-year-old man would be immune from such charges? Consider how the world has changed in the past 50 years. What might have been acceptable 40 years ago is now outlawed by the current standards of political correctness.
Whether an action is right or wrong, statutes of limitations exist to sensibly limit prosecution after certain time limits.
Unproven allegations from the past century would seem to me to be timed out.
It's the height of irony that the GOP must find a man or woman eligible for sainthood, while the man who gave new meaning to knee pads, cigars, breath mints and little blue dresses while in the White House is a revered figure for the left.
Go figure.
Ed Dornlas
Las Vegas
Walk this way
To the editor:
In reading about the many pedestrian accidents in Las Vegas, I am thinking about when I was in the U.S. Navy in New London, Conn., and used to spend weekends in New York City.
In New York City, it seems that the vehicle has the right of way, and pedestrians know this. Therefore the pedestrians are more aware of vehicles in their vicinity before they step off the curb. According to The New York Times, between 2002 and 2006 there were 7,000 pedestrian/vehicle accidents that resulted in injury or death. That's about 1,400 incidents per year in a city of 8 million people. That's a 0.0175 percent chance of getting into such an incident each year.
Very few people own a vehicle in New York City, so most residents are pedestrians. The 2010 population of Las Vegas was 1,951,269. I can't seem to find the number of pedestrian/vehicle accidents in 2010, but I'll bet that the rate was significantly higher.
I believe this is because pedestrians in Las Vegas think that because they have the right of way they can step in front of a vehicle and be safe.
Well, as my father used to say, "You can be right -- dead right."
Ken Griffin
Mohave Valley, Ariz.
Loves Sebelius
To the editor:
I am a transplant (12 years ago) from 50 years in the Midwest and Northeast. My time in Las Vegas has included a search for a balanced source of political/social news. I crave logical and thoughtful reporting in those areas. Give me studied opinions and conclusions based on facts and logic rather than emotion and misplaced loyalty.
Steve Sebelius is my best source for that. His Wednesday column ("Don't put philosophy ahead of people") was a prime example of what is needed in the coverage of politics. He wrote of the mental process by which he created his Sunday column, and the process involved fact, logic, empathy and an open mind. He had a reason for every word he used in that column. I see thoughtfulness in all of his writing.
As a 76-year-old lifetime amateur writer, I know enough about writing to declare Wednesday's column outstanding. I wish Mr. Sebelius covered more of the national picture with his balanced views, but I realize that his base is Las Vegas and Nevada, and he is thus limited on national stories.
As a politically conservative newspaper, the Review-Journal is to be commended for adding the balance of Steve Sebelius' work to its staff.
Don Merz
Las Vegas
Drink up
To the editor:
The glass is only half-full when it comes to your Monday article on foods that can boost health if consumed in moderation. Your readers who prefer cocktails might be interested to know that the dietary guidelines for Americans -- as well as numerous scientific studies over the past three decades -- report it is the ethanol (alcohol) in all types of alcoholic beverages (distilled spirits, beer and wine) that is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
The key is moderation. Distillers do not recommend that people drink alcohol for potential health benefits, and some individuals should not drink at all. For those adults who choose to drink, we encourage them to do so responsibly.
Monica Gourovitch
Washington, D.C.
The writer is senior vice president, scientific affairs, for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Penn State scandal
To the editor:
Having spent the majority of my professional life at Penn State, I am disturbed, saddened and terribly embarrassed by the lack of action on the part of individuals employed by Penn State against someone who chose to take inappropriate action. That being said, we can't let this lack of suitable action define a university and its superb qualities.
While athletic teams represent a university, they don't define a university. Penn State is and will continue to be a fine example of America's graduate research institutions. Penn State is the place my children were educated and the place that I hope my grandchildren will be educated. We should all as Penn Staters be proud of what Penn State was, is and will continue to be -- an educational institution of the highest quality defined by its faculty, students, and alumni accomplishments, not by the errors of a very few misguided individuals.
Stuart H. Mann
Las Vegas
