This time, we’re giving up on waste storage?
To the editor:
Ever since the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository was planned, Nevada politicians fought tooth and nail to close it down. They succeeded. Now our illustrious leaders have no problem with bomb-usable uranium waste being buried in Nevada (“Most of delegation displays little concern on nuke waste,” April 17 Review-Journal). With all due respect, our government leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, are clueless on the types of and safe storage requirements for nuclear waste.
Yucca Mountain was designed to store spent fuel rods from commercial nuclear plants (power companies). These rods were to be sealed in specifically designed and shielded containers to prevent radiation leakage and were to last approximately 10,000 years. The containers were then to be put under Yucca Mountain. This was fully, totally and completely unacceptable to Nevada lawmakers, including Sen. Reid, because of the grave risks to Nevadans.
Now, however, it’s perfectly OK to store highly radioactive weapons-grade nuclear waste, which is approximately twice as dangerous in a 40-foot hole in the desert on a military base. The rationale is it will be guarded 24 hours a day and thus, according to Sen. Reid, “is not a nuclear waste battle, in my mind.”
I only have one question: Who’s going to guard this site for the next 10,000 years?
LARRY FULSOM
LAS VEGAS
Background checks
To the editor:
A petulant President Barack Obama took to the airwaves in the wake of the Senate’s action (non-action) on gun background checks. Nothing in that bill would have prevented Sandy Hook, Aurora, Colo., Virginia Tech or Columbine. It wouldn’t have prevented the shooting of Gabby Giffords and others in Arizona. It was all a political sleight of hand to keep us from thinking about the real issues facing our republic: A stagnant economy, high unemployment, illegal immigrants clogging up our infrastructure, energy prices going through the roof while more than sufficient reserves sit languishing in the ground, and a national education system which is nothing more than a joke played on the taxpayers for the benefit of the teachers’ unions.
Registering gun buyers is just one step on the road to gun confiscation. It begins with background checks, which leads to gun registration, which leads to a database of gun owners, their addresses and employment. What follows? You do the math. And the biggest problem with all that? It has all been tried before. Many times aspiring despots have realized that in order to take over a society, the members of that society must be disarmed.
American gun owners won’t become victims, and before anyone thinks that “American gun owner” means a white male, members of the NRA come in all types. Tall and short, male and female, heterosexual and gay, black, white, brown and probably green for all I know.
The point is that the people won’t allow gun confiscation — except those politicians in Washington who want a highly charged, emotional issue from which they can make political hay.
We’re wise and we are coming for you. You’ll see us at the ballot box.
RICK AINSWORTH
HENDERSON
Free Onion
To the editor:
I was distressed upon reading your April 17 article regarding Onion, the dog that killed a Henderson boy a year ago (“Henderson questioned about humane treatment of dog that killed 1-year-old boy,” Review-Journal).
I read some time ago that the Lexus project had offered to take the dog to a sanctuary where he could spend the remainder of his life. If I am not mistaken, his previous owner also had agreed to this arrangement. I presumed that this had already happened and was shocked to find out that a year has gone by and this poor dog is still being held captive in these inhumane conditions, as per your article.
I cannot understand why he is just not released to the Lexus project once and for all, and why this issue had to be brought to the Nevada Supreme Court.
I understand that a young boy was killed and, as a grandmother to young ones myself, I feel the pain of the loss. But I do not believe that Onion acted in malice and should be sentenced to live the rest of his life in such deplorable conditions. The death of the young boy was an extremely sad and unfortunate accident, but it was exactly that, an accident.
I think Onion should just be released to the sanctuary to live out the rest of his life as soon as possible.
CARMEN VIDARTE
HENDERSON
More money
To the editor:
In reading about the gas tax increases requested by the county commissioners and the Regional Transportation Commission general manager, Tina Quigley, I’m outraged (“More Cops bill, gas tax hike measure clear Assembly panel,” April 11 Review-Journal). Having lived here for more than 53 years, I have seen so much misuse of the taxpayers’ money. If it were spent wisely, there would have been plenty of money for roads.
Has anyone looked lately of all of the new landscaped areas at the freeway onramps and offramps? These aren’t only landscaped once, and these include power and water to these plants, when our utilities are becoming scarce and we’re asked to conserve.
How much was spent on the sculptures? There should have been plenty of money for roads, if it had not been for the misuse of the money allocated on unnecessary landscape. Now they want more money from us.
SHARON COLE
LAS VEGAS
