LETTERS: McDonald’s baggage worth pointing out

McDonald's baggage

Virginia Starrett's letter accuses Review-Journal columnist John L. Smith of hating Republicans, questions his education and accuses him of smearing the reputation of Michael McDonald, present chairman of the fractured Nevada Republican Party ("Sour on Smith," Tuesday Review-Journal). Ms. Starrett states that Mr. McDonald is "knee-deep" in local leadership experience, due to many of the positions he has held.

Ms. Starrett must not be aware of the baggage that Mr. McDonald carries with him now and will for years to come. Ms. Starrett should go back to the mid 1990s and research the McDonald legacy. Only then will she learn of an ex-Metro police officer under investigation in the FBI G-Sting investigation that included 17 defendants found guilty.

Mr. McDonald was a key player, and though he was not found guilty in a court of law, he was the subject of multiple ethics investigations as a Las Vegas city councilman. It goes on and on, but all that information is easily researched.

Now Mr. McDonald 's shenanigans are being questioned again. I might not agree with Mr. Smith all the time, but he writes with integrity and knowledge of his subjects.

Dave Seyler

Henderson

Football schedule

After reading Charles Berberian's letter criticizing UNLV's football schedule, I felt I had to comment ("Football schedule," Sept. 28 Review-Journal). He and others who criticized the scheduling of Michigan and UCLA miss the point.

There is an old adage that says, "If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room." What that means is that you should always associate with people from whom you can learn. The same adage can be applied to sports. If you really want to improve your game, then you should play against opponents who are superior to you — that way your game gets better with every attempt.

This year's schedule is about UNLV improving in the most effective way possible — by playing superior opponents and learning from them. Soon enough, the winning records will follow.

Daniel Pursley

Las Vegas

Sex education

I would like to thank the Review-Journal for the excellent editorial on sex education in the Clark County School District ("Parental guidance," Friday). I have been researching this issue in-depth for more than a year, and I am happy to say that the editorial covered it very well.

I appreciate that the writer brought up School Board Trustee Carolyn Edwards. The people of Las Vegas deserve to know when their elected officials are pushing agendas that aren't in the best interest of the community. I hope to see more honest, articulate editorials like this in the Review-Journal.

Kristine Swarts

Las Vegas

Religion and business

A lot has been said about Kim Davis' decision not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in her role as clerk in Rowan County, Ky. Most denounce that decision, and as an avowed social and fiscal conservative, I agree with that opinion. Public employees and elected officials must not be allowed to discriminate against anyone for any reason.

However, where I disagree is when it comes to the rights of individuals. For those who contend that individuals be held to the same standard as government officials, would you force an American of African descent who owns a print shop to print leaflets promoting meetings for the Ku Klux Klan? Or require a person of the Jewish faith to bake a cake with the Iron Cross or swastika emblazoned on it?

And, if those individuals refused that service, would you then seek to fine them or shut them down?

In an era of governmental bodies at the federal, state and local levels refusing to enforce our immigration laws, is someone actually going to argue for Draconian measures to be taken against principled persons of faith? If so, as Samuel Goldwyn wryly put it, "Include me out."

Jerry Fink

Las Vegas

Historic neighborhoods

Thanks to Felicia Mello for the interesting article about preserving historic neighborhoods in Las Vegas ("Preserving the past," Sunday Review-Journal). It is important to know our heritage. However, even though I've lived in Las Vegas since 1968, I had a hard time placing some of the neighborhoods. A diagram or map showing the neighborhoods would have helped clarify the article.

A property I've wondered about but have no knowledge of its past is located off Rancho Drive and Jones Boulevard. It is abandoned and obviously old. It is a small house that had a pool and water tower in the back; the trees around it have died. There is extensive rock work on the property. Someone devoted many hours to developing the property. It might be worth taking a look at its historical value.

Patricia J. Wunder

Las Vegas