Protests liven up Carson CityIndependence Day

While a small group of anti-abortion activists held a silent protest in front of the Capitol, a noisy group of more than 50 gathered in front of the Legislature to protest the failure of Congress to pass immigration reform.

Gilbert Cortez, of Reno, organized the immigration protest after the U.S. Senate failed to pass immigration reform this past week.

He said the group is also protesting "the venom the talk show hosts have spewed on society." He said right-wing talk shows are painting immigrant Hispanics as "robbers, thieves, rapists - the very opposite of what we are."

Cortez, wearing the purple heart he was awarded for service in Korea, also had harsh words for members of the Senate who he said "did not even have the guts to look at the situation and approve justified immigration reform."

"We are not going to let them pass laws that are going to degrade us," he said.

Speakers urged the crowd to learn to use the American economic and legal system to defend themselves.

Leticia Servin, of Carson City's Comite de Padres Latinos, said she was pleased with the strong turnout. The group, in a caravan of vehicles with slogans painted on their sides and rear windows, toured the capital city, driving by the Governor's Mansion and Capitol honking horns and waving American flags to make its point.

Earlier, a group of nine members of Eagle Wings Church in Carson City met on the Capitol steps for a nonviolent, nonverbal protest against abortion. Wearing red Duct Tape over their mouths with the word "Life" written on it, they called for an end not only to abortion but to what they describe as moral decay in the U.S.

"We're calling out to God for this country to come back to its moral values," said Nancy Lookabaugh, of Carson City.

Pat Fike, who organized the protest, said similar gatherings are being held nationwide. She said they lead up to a national event set for Friday in Nashville, Tenn., where 100,000 people are expected to gather. Organized as The Call, that event calls on society to change and restore the value of life in all respects.

After Fike and the others left, a group of seven Carson teens showed up at the Capitol for a prolife demonstration. Carrying signs that said "Get your laws off my body" and "Honk if you're pro-choice," they spent about an hour trying to get the attention of passing drivers on Carson Street.

• Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.