Your taxes ensure hurt hummingbirds die

To the editor:

Hummingbirds are delightful little creatures that seem to magically hover in the air as they sip nectar and pollinate flowers. They also supplement their diet with small insects and spiders.

In Las Vegas, if you deploy a hummingbird feeder, you may enjoy watching one or two as they feed.

They do not sting, poop on houses or vote for Republicans. Hence, they don't upset the balance of society or bother people.

We were delighted to read the July 7 article on Marion Brady's efforts to rehabilitate sick and injured hummingbirds and return them to our skies. Everyone loves hummingbirds, mothers and apple pie.

Everyone, that is, except the Nevada Department of Wildlife, whose spokesman, Doug Nielsen, asserts that "what she was doing was way out of range" ("Rescuer runs afoul of state," Saturday Review-Journal). One may ask, "Out of range of what?" There probably isn't an answer.

Mr. Nielsen further explains that the government has to ensure that "people aren't just removing wildlife from the wild on a whim, that there is some order to things."

Hmmm. I thought that God did that.

In fact, now that I ponder it, I thought our country's founders attempted to limit the role of government to the basic essentials of providing for the common defense, and so forth.

How did we ever get to the point that you can't help a hummingbird without a permit?

Let's see if I have this right: I can give non-prescription medicine and food to nurture a homeless person, but I can't do the same for a hummingbird?

And I'm paying taxes for this?

Ronnie Garner

Henderson

Barbaric practice

To the editor:

Many years ago, I took a course to become a prison guard. I passed the course and contacted the warden at a large prison in Massachusetts. One day, I met the warden at the main gate. When I walked in with him and those big gates closed behind us, a sickening feeling come over me.

After a few hours with him touring that prison, I made up my mind that being a prison guard was not for me. The time I would have to be inside would make me a prisoner like the poor souls in there.

This brings me to why I am writing this letter. There is no good reason exotic animals like chimpanzees - like Buddy and C.J., who escaped their Las Vegas home Thursday - should be caged like prisoners ("Caged chimps often raged," Saturday Review-Journal). Exotic animals were born to live free.

There is a bill in Congress to ban this barbaric practice of keeping exotic animals like Buddy and C.J. as pathetic prisoners in cages. It's time Congress stops keeping chimpanzees (and the middle class) in cages. Set them all free, dear Lord.

John Tominsky

Las Vegas

Made in China

To the editor:

Thank God for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He found out the United States Olympic team's uniforms for this month's opening ceremonies were made in China (Friday Review-Journal). Thanks to him, the uniforms will be made domestically for the 2014 Winter Games.

Sen. Reid, could we get our light bulbs back? You know, the cheap ones made in America before they were banned in favor of the expensive ones made in China?

Forrest A. Henry

North Las Vegas