Onion not responsible for accident

To the editor:

In response to Wayne P. Brotherton’s July 7 letter (“Think Onion should live? Get a life”) and the Review-Journal’s editorial on July 8 (“Put down Onion”), yes, it was a tragic accident that the adults in the house didn’t take responsibility when leaving the baby alone. One just doesn’t do that, and Onion didn’t intentionally attack the baby; the dog was awakened and startled. The guardian of a dog must take responsibility, and in this case for an accident that never should have happened.

The other issue is that the powers that be have no common sense whatsoever, but only a love of power. The dog isn’t dangerous. The owner said Onion had never done anything like that before. This didn’t have to go all the way to the Nevada Supreme Court if all had worked together in placing Onion at the sanctuary. The owners were agreeable to that, and the sanctuary was willing to take him. What part of that don’t the powers understand? If they can’t figure that out, it’s no wonder nothing else gets done.

Thank you to the Lexus Project for trying to do the right thing. Hopefully, Onion will go to the sanctuary in Colorado. And yes, Mr. Brotherton, dogs can be rehabilitated (if Onion needs to be). Just take a look at the many dogs from the Michael Vick case. Thanks to the efforts of Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, many of Mr. Vick’s dogs have been rehabilitated and gone on to loving homes. The human race is not in decline. As Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation ... can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

KAREN SLABOSKI

LAS VEGAS

A few cents for officers

To the editor:

For those complaining about the proposed increase in the sales tax rate from 8.1 percent to 8.25 percent, I suggest they should take a remedial math course (“Police tax hike,” July 7 Review-Journal editorial). Because if they took the time to figure out its impact, they would find it to be negligible. This increase would mean that, on a $100 purchase, you would pay an additional 15 cents in sales tax.

Our fine sheriff, Doug Gillespie, says he needs more officers, so let’s give them to him. As far as the comments about this money going to increase salaries, if you hear a bump in the night, do you really want a bargain-basement officer to respond?

RICHARD J. MUNDY

LAS VEGAS

Predictable melee?

To the editor:

I’m very disturbed by the statement in the Review-Journal’s Wednesday editorial (Soccer violence) stating that, “Last week’s melee was totally predicable” because of the rivalry between the two professional teams in the July 3 game at Sam Boyd Stadium.

How many football and baseball rivalries are there, at the high school, college and professional level? Are there melees/fights/riots when the Steelers play the Ravens or the Yankees play the Red Sox? Excusing immature and illegal behavior is just another form of the media’s political correctness gone haywire.

That type of behavior should never be predictable, excused or accepted. Call it what it was: morons behaving in a criminal manner. Why there were no arrests, with six people being hospitalized, is another question for another day.

BRUCE ALITT

LAS VEGAS

Culture failing

To the editor:

Brent Bandhauer has certainly made an excellent point in his letter (“Schools aren’t failing, but culture is,” Wednesday Review-Journal). What has happened to accountability? Too many students today pass or are promoted simply because they spend the required number of days in the classroom.

Heaven forbid they be challenged or required to perform in accordance with established rules of conduct. Our culture doesn’t allow them to be admonished, lest their self-esteem be damaged. Enough.

BARBARA VOGT

BOULDER CITY