Reid’s cowardly comments on war reprehensible
To the editor:
How is it possible that Sen. Harry Reid could be representing the great state of Nevada? For him to say "the war is lost" is beyond reprehensible.
I know that the vast majority of Nevadans may have issue with how this war has been run, but there is no way that we believe in surrender and the utter disrespect of telling our soldiers on the front lines to give up because you have already "lost."
Although it has been more than evident that Sen. Reid sold his soul to the anti-war liberal left a long time ago, he should remember it is Nevada that he represents, not the anti-American cowards at MoveOn.org.
TROY AHYO
LAS VEGAS
Peace lost
To the editor:
Harry Reid is wrong. The war is not lost. President Bush flew onto the deck of an aircraft carrier and declared "Mission accomplished." You don't think the president would lie to the American people, do you?
The complete lack of planning and botched implementation of the results of winning the war is what is lost. Thanks to the brilliant leadership of President Bush and his neo-con crew, other countries (France, Germany, Russia) were excluded from assisting in the post-war reconstruction efforts (to the benefit of Haliburton, among others); long-serving Iraqi bureaucrats were declared ineligible to assist in the day-to-day running of a country because they were part of Saddam's government (whether they agreed with him or not); and police and Iraqi army personnel (nearly all of whom were Baathists under Saddam) were jettisoned, leaving the security of the country in the capable hands of Americans who did not speak the language nor understand the customs.
Iraq has been in a state of civil war for thousands of years, interrupted only by periods of time where a strong leader prevented the conflict from escalating. Now there is no strong leader or government, and the chaos has once again surfaced. No "surge" is going to prevent the bloodshed that is happening on a daily basis. No foreigners will be able to still the violence. Iraqis must settle the problems in Iraq, without the interference from foreign powers that do not and cannot understand the conflicts.
Harry was wrong. The war was won. The peace was lost.
It's time to get out.
David Adams
LAS VEGAS
Democratic hacks
To the editor:
Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and the so-called legislators they lead have become slaves to the polls. Why? Because they are only concerned about being re-elected. They are supposed to lead, not follow. They don't represent all of the people and they don't use their powers in a bipartisan spirit. They hate President Bush, and that hatred determines their behavior, right or wrong.
At this critical time in our country's history, we deserve statesmen.
Instead we elect obstructionist, self-serving bureaucratic bullies. Instead of dealing with real problems such as tax reform, immigration and the other issues Americans sent them to Congress to deal with, they debate ad nauseam, investigate to death and accomplish very little except delay and spiteful rhetoric.
We need to make sure that these hacks don't feed at the public's expense any longer.
DON DAVIS
LAS VEGAS
Growth woes
To the editor:
If growth pays for growth, why don't the Nevada Department of Transportation, the Clark County School District, University Medical Center and the Southern Nevada Water Authority all have the resources to sustain an ever-larger population? If there are not sufficient resources, why is development still recklessly continuing?
If the water pipeline plan that was approved last week will supply 500,000 "more" people, are they new residents? Tourists? Illegal immigrants? Who decides whether it is smarter to impact White Pine County's fragile environment or the 12.5 percent of Clark County's labor force in the construction trades?
If global warming is here and ocean levels are rising, if White Pine County's water is only a temporary fix, and if the whole southwestern United States is suffering from the same drought, why don't all the affected states combine efforts and finances to process ocean water for their everlasting consumption?
NANCY SWANSON
LAS VEGAS
Litmus test
To the editor:
If you fell asleep in civics class and you are still wondering if you are a conservative or a liberal, it is easy to tell the difference. All you have to do is look at your reaction to the massacre at Virginia Tech this week as it relates to the Second Amendment.
If your gut reaction was that this could have been prevented if only all the guns were taken away from all the law-abiding citizens, then you are a liberal.
If your reaction was that this horrible event probably could not have been prevented because evil, disturbed people are in the world and will always find a way to cause harm, you are probably a conservative.
If you believe that this tragedy could have been minimized if a student, teacher or a staff member lawfully trained in the concealed carry of firearms had put a bullet between the eyes of this deranged killer, then you are a conservative.
Class dismissed.
Mark E. McKenzie
LAS VEGAS
Media blame
To the editor:
I opened Thursday's edition of the Review-Journal to see an image that was probably the last seen by many of the Virginia Tech victims.
It is appalling that the media, the Review-Journal included, would honor the last wishes of a crazed mass murderer by broadcasting his hateful tirade and placing the most disturbing picture available of him on the front page of every major newspaper.
The media's actions were thoughtless and selfish and will only encourage more violence in our nation. Wouldn't the media's time have been better spent finding out what the last wishes of these innocent victims might have been and then using their influence to help make these wishes a reality and keep their memories alive?
Ryan Dehn
LAS VEGAS
Campus guns
To the editor:
Wednesday, for the second time in a week by my count, we had another incident where someone brought a gun onto a Clark County School District campus (Review-Journal, Wednesday). That's 39 incidents so far this year. That's an average of a gun per week for every week of the school year.
We have principals asking for metal detectors to prevent these types of incidents, but so far the School Board has declined. In today's world and after Virginia Tech, Columbine, et al., it is absolutely foolhardy for the district not to take every precaution for the safety of our children.
Are the school district administrators waiting for the inevitable bloodletting before taking action?
TRACY JORDAN
NORTH LAS VEGAS
