Letters to the editor 4-18

Group's claim to fame

is a reprehensible act

In response to the letter from Joyce Gale Ramos: The so-called Christian group (Westboro Baptist "Church" of Topeka, Kan.) that was hurling abuse at Carson High School is well known nationally for its belligerence and, certainly, not its tolerance. In fact, a visit to their Web site is quite an education in intolerance if not sociopathy. I would post a link to it, but even the URL is offensive.

Their claim to fame is the reprehensible and disgusting act of picketing the funerals of our fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

How very Christ-like it is to assail people in the midst of their grief?

Luckily for them, our Constitution preserves their freedoms of speech, religion and assembly.

These people obviously know nothing of Christ and are, frankly, a stench in the nostrils of God.

To quote: "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you' ... " - Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:21-23 NAS)

T.M. BUJAK

Carson City

Tinkering with clean air

act irresponsible judgment

State Sens. Care, Parks, Copening, Amodei, McGinness and Washington of the Senate Judiciary Committee demonstrated totally irresponsible judgment in voting to amend the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act.

Anyone who attended the Senate Judiciary hearing April 3 should find it impossible to support the illogical and devious arguments of the slot, convenience store, gambling crowd over the evidence-based testimony of public health officials, physicians and cancer victims who argued against this revision. The opponents presented eloquent arguments based upon the irrefutable evidence that secondhand smoke kills 53,000 Americans a year.

Beyond the overwhelming data that the opponents provided to defeat this proposal other pertinent studies show that smoking bans do not have negative economic consequences on businesses and high-tech ventilation systems do not work effectively to reduce the presence of smoke in enclosed areas.

Additionally, Nevada voters voted 54 percent to 46 percent in the 2006 election to support this smoking ban and this legislation can't be revised until December 2009.

One has to ask how six senators could possibly approve potential legislation that flies in face of sound scientific findings, recommendations of the most knowledgeable health officials in the state and the will of the people as expressed by vote and numerous comments by the non-smoking public.

Nevadans should be outraged at this lack of judgment and express their disapproval to their senate and assembly representatives to defeat this dangerous anti-health legislation.

JOHN W. SESNEY, PH.D.

Carson City

Diplomatic mission a

self-serving political junket

Guy Farmer's Sunday column on Obama's overseas trip skipped over the presidential teleprompter's casual trashing of America on foreign soil. Farmer understandably spun the trip as a success for his affirmative action pick for president, but the facts don't support his conclusions.

Obama's apology for American arrogance was certainly popular with the foreign crowds. It was arrogant for Bush to disrupt old Europe's abuse of the Iraq oil-for-food program. Obama's world view is that America is just one nation among many, that all cultures are equal.

If Europe's under-the-table trading with Saddam funded worldwide terrorism and Fidel runs a tobacco and sugar plantation with citizen slaves, who are we to judge? Applause.

How about Obama's assertion that America is not at war with Islam? More applause. But the Messiah has it backward. Islam is at war with America and its allies. Innocent civilians have been slaughtered and war crimes committed in the name of the Religion of Peace while America has saved more Muslim lives and liberated more Muslim women than any country in history.

Only a former striped-pants chair warmer would view a self-serving political junket disguised as a diplomatic mission, free of any actual accomplishments, as a success.

LYNN MUZZY

Minden

Carson's Tea Party was

monumental occasion

I just wanted to take a minute and ask you all to think about the magnitude of what we accomplished together this past Wednesday at the tax day tea party in Carson City. We are Republicans, Libertarians, American Independents, Democrats and registered non-partisans, and we stood shoulder to shoulder and sent the government a message that we are not going to let them cure the perceived disease that is "liberty" with a medicine called "taxation."

We are going to keep sending this message until it's heard in Washington and all across this great nation. We united and we are stronger for it.

I had the pleasure of being one of the event organizers under AngerIsBrewing.com. It was not a funded effort and we had no official backers. The tea party was 3,000 individuals, from 20-30 groups locally, who oppose government fiscal irresponsibility on both sides of the aisle and who gathered together to say so. It was the largest demonstration ever to be held at the Legislature in Carson City.

I am so proud to be a Nevadan. God bless the USA.

Debbie Landis

Reno