Letters to the Editor

Pahrump not ‘dark skies’ place anymore says resident

In the PV Times article “Dark skies bill moves through Legislature” it states “a ‘Dark Sky Places’ program that would encourage communities around the state, including these in Nye County, to recognize and foster the growing importance of dark skies.” Here in Pahrump, we are rapidly losing our dark skies and becoming like Vegas, the most illuminated place on earth. People are installing high-intensity outdoor lights that they leave on all night whether someone is outdoors or not. The waste of electricity is significant.

High-intensity lights should be motion-detecting only, automatically shutting off in less than five minutes. They should also be pointed downward only onto their owner’s property. They are blinding when shining onto roadways and other people’s property.

Circadian rhythms are being ruined by high-intensity lights. They emit blue radio frequency waves that interfere with sleep and are not easily blocked. For example, roosters crow all night, dogs bark all night and worst of all people cannot sleep. They should never be left on all night either intentionally or not.

To “encourage communities around the state, including Nye County, to recognize and foster the growing importance of dark skies” does nothing to enforce light being shined only onto the owner’s property. Lights shining onto another person’s property or public property, should include a fine of $100 per month per violation up to $1,000 and six months in jail. Without a method to enforce “Dark Sky Places” many people will just ignore the “recognize and foster.” They don’t care about other people’s right to dark skies and that god intended it to be dark at night.

Jean Frenette

Resident has concerns about future of wild horses

To Whom It May Concern:

I am most distressed about the removal of the three wild horses at Ian Duetch Park by the BLM; gone because people insist upon endangering themselves by trying to pet these horses.

Would these same “parents” send their children out to pet a wild bear? What part of “wild” don’t these parents understand? The reasoning is that these “horses” are dangerous and might hurt these children.

Not only have these horses been removed, but they are going to be castrated. There will be no more wild horses. The thrill of sighting a wild horse herd is gone forever. We are told they will be vetted and sold for adoption. I seriously question this. Their reputation precedes them. Every year the BLM rounds up wild horses and sells them for meat. They sadistically chase them with helicopters. They don’t care if they kill or cripple them. As far as I am concerned the horses are dead.

After all, the BLM just shot a young mountain lion here in town because a lady was feeding it and it scared her neighbor. They didn’t even consider moving it to the wild, it had become tame. They shot it and kept the skin like a big game hunter.

The BLM is supposed to protect, not eradicate, our wild animals here in Nevada. Now we have lost four animals.

If in fact the reason for killing and removing everything is for our protection, I suggest we first get rid of the children’s jungle gyms and slides, they are a real danger. Every day children are hurt on these apparatuses. Secondly, we should ban the BLM before there is no wildlife left in Nye County and possibly, all of Nevada.

A concerned, heartbroken citizen,

Susan Zink

Our society is changing, and not for the better

Principles that were once bedrock for my Boomer generation have been sloughed-off like so much dead skin today.

Staying together in marriage was of the utmost importance, but today having two, three, or more divorces is common. Debt was understood to be dangerous for everyday needs, but now it is thought to be as good as a paycheck.

Honesty and integrity were the wellsprings of all goodness. Today, courts don’t take the slightest interest in false accusation, infidelity, or misleading advertising. Truthful reporting is seen as “snitching” and un-tribal. Common everyday lying is accepted, almost expected, as a quick way out of every predicament.

A focus on wellness was top priority, and included keeping abreast of the latest science. Now, the cool thing to do is live every day like it is your last.

Boomers once treated neighbors like family, but today we don’t watch out for them. We don’t even want to get to know them. Then, money was the root of all evil, but today it is the path to all salvation.

Sincerely,

Kimball Shinkoskey

Animal lover concerned about high school rodeos

Rodeo has had its day, and now belongs in the dustbin of history. The proposed high school rodeos will likely be super-spreaders of COVID-19.

Be aware that EVERY animal welfare organization in North America condemns rodeo due to its inherent cruelty. Animal injuries and deaths are commonplace, veterinary care rare. The PRCA has required on-site vets only since 1996, after FIVE animals were killed at the 1995 California Rodeo in Salinas.

Most of rodeo is bogus from the get-go. REAL working cowboys/girls never routinely rode bulls, or wrestled steers, or rode bareback, or barrel raced, or practiced calf roping as a timed event. And they certainly did not put flank straps on the animals, or work them over with painful “hotshots,” kicks and slaps in the holding chutes. Some “sport”! Indeed, rodeo is not a “sport” at all. It’s a macho exercise in domination.

The United Kingdom banned rodeos back in 1934. Can the U.S. be far behind? Lest we forget, COVID-19 was HUMAN-caused, a direct result of our gross mistreatment and abuse of animals, both wild and domestic. There are connections to be made here, folks. Are we up to the task?

Eric Mills,

Action For Animals coordinator

We all need to be really careful what we wish for

Well it didn’t take long for the newly elected communist/Democrat party to show their colors. It is such a litany of stupidity that even you idiots that stole the election and installed this bunch of buffoons into office to show their colors.

As a registered Democrat since 1955, back when we were truly Democrats, to promote the little man has there been such a show of ignorance by one party. You people make Nixon look like a saint. You put sleepy Joe, the biggest thief of all time in to head the show. My god, what were you people thinking?

You have a total mess on the southern border and a health crisis that is not going away anytime soon. All of this because of your hatred of the greatest patriot since Washington. Gasoline went from a $1.97 a gallon to $2.69 cents a gallon in 45 days. The stock market has gone rampant and are making billionaires into trillonaires that all promoted your party.

You have a vice president that isn’t even qualified to be one because she is not a natural born citizen as required by law. When it is all over and done and the bullets start flying, just hope you are on the right side of this revolution. God bless America and God save America from these idiots.

Stacy Riney

If it is so bad here why does everyone want to come?

Why are so many powerful people intent on teaching everyone, including our children, what a bad, evil country the USA is. There has been a trend to focus on all the negativities, failures, and shortcomings, even teaching that we were evil from the very beginning.

Without question, we are not perfect but show me any country that is or has been. If anyone is looking for perfection I think the only place it will be found is when you die, you will be able to hold your breath perfectly. Being a second generation born American, today I much more appreciate the things I learned from my grandparents and parents. My grandparents came over almost broke, spending all their money to get to the ‘land of hope and opportunity. There weren’t any government programs to feed, shelter or clothe them, their only support was extended family here, ethnic community and their religious affiliation. They took the worst, hardest, low-paying jobs, scrimped, saved, and sacrificed, after a long period saving enough to buy a rundown house and a rundown frame.

But this was part of my grandfather’s dream, to grow his own food and be a “beekeeper”. They raised six children, 2 boys that served in World War II and one girl that enlisted just before the end, actually lying about her young age to get in. They also had three other children that died in childhood.

They never fully mastered the English language but demanded all their children needed to and learn reading, writing arithmetic, and history, particularly of their ‘new’ country so the children could teach it to them. They never felt entitled to anything and were very grateful for just having the opportunity to have the freedom even to fail because of their choices. They never felt envious or jealous of what others had teaching their children if they worked hard enough, smart enough, and long enough, done honestly, they too could get some of those things they desired, but always tried to remind them of the things that are really important.

Sadly, so many of these well-taught principles have all but disappeared. It didn’t happen overnight but they “everybody gets a trophy” and “I’m a victim” that’s been prevalent in today’s world is everywhere from real royalty, well known entertainers, wealthy sports figures, and many others claiming victimhood and blaming others for their unhappiness. What’s really difficult to figure out, spreading the word on how really bad it is here, why would anyone want to come here to live? It seems there should be a great exodus from here!

David Jaronik

Wildlife killing contests may be legal, but are wrong

While blood sports such as dogfighting and cockfighting are recognized as serious crimes, a little known but similar activity—the wildlife killing contest—is still legal in Nevada. Sponsors and organizers of the event reward contestants with cash and prizes for killing the most or the largest animals.

As the public becomes increasingly aware of these contests, they are asking policy makers to end the cruel practice. Killing in mass violates the hunting principles of fair chase and respect for animals and their habitats. These contests are giving Nevada’s hunting community and her residents a bad reputation.

As more states ban the contests, predator hunters are flocking to Nevada to enter killing contests because it’s illegal in their state and there’s big money to be made. One can win $20,000 just for killing the most native wildlife. Once the prizes are awarded, the bodies of the animals are often tossed away like trash. It gets worse, since Nevada doesn’t require a hunting license to hunt coyotes, not a dime is going to NDOW. Don’t be fooled, this is not conservation.

What’s more, research and empirical evidence has shown that randomly killing vital wild carnivores will not prevent conflicts with farm animals and will not increase numbers of deer or turkeys for hunters.

On March 20, our Nevada Board of Wildlife Commission has the chance to add Nevada to the growing list of states that have banned these cruel and unsporting events. If you agree the NBWC should end WKCs send an email asking them to support a ban: wildlifecommission@ndow.org

Come on Nevada! We can do this. #stopthekill

Fauna Tomlinson

Reader offers rebuttal to recent political PVT letter

Perhaps it is best for me to first briefly summarize myself, and express what I believe, because some seem to infer that I am a socialist or a socialist sympathizer. I am a conservative, non-Fox News addict, capitalist. I am a retired businessman with a comfortable life style. I was a devout Republican for most of my life. I am also a humanitarian who does not believe that all people on welfare are freeloaders. No political party nor individual is a panacea for all the problems we face. No political party or government is perfect. A two-party system is desirable because we all, including yours truly, need to be challenged on our beliefs. A retired judge once told a group of us, “Consider the possibility that your thinking may not always be correct.”

We can and should enforce our laws on illegal immigration in a humane manner. Human decency should be respected.

I agree with Mr. Fisher, “our Constitution is under attack.” This was recently and blatantly, more than ever before, done by Trump with his illegal and unconstitutional insurrection of our republic. He really showed himself to be an enemy of our republic. Adam Schiff is one of the most ethical, and knowledgeable representatives in Congress, plus being a great lawyer. No scandals whatsoever. He fully supported the second impeachment of Trump. Even Senator McConnell said that “Trump was responsible,” and committed criminal acts against our Constitution and republic. For those who may respond to the aforementioned and say it is not true, please give us more than your opinion. You need to present title, page, and verse of any statute in federal law or in our Constitution that supports Trump’s recent attempted coup. Please don’t give us unintellectual garbage like “the election was stolen from Trump,”(now known as the big lie) because not one single shred of evidence has been presented by Trump or any of his supporters to make such an unfounded claim.

Like many of my critics, Mr. Fisher has made a number of untruthful claims. One being…”we have gone from a self sufficient energy country back to relying on the Middle East; we are being systematically forced out of our cars with skyrocketing gas prices.” All nonsense and not true. “Skyrocketing gas prices?” Gas is still one of the cheapest items when compared to rise of other items, especially groceries, over last 20 years. True, our stockpiles of oil are being reduced, but we are not running out. Mr. Fisher appears to be totally unaware that Tesla, a major manufacturer of electric vehicles, has changed the whole economic landscape nearby in Reno, creating thousands of new good-paying jobs. Also, fossil fuels are not renewable. Why doesn’t Mr. Fisher realize we are producing renewable energy to replace the used up fossil fuel? And why does he support poisoning us with hydrocarbons from fossil fuel? And what about climate change? Does anyone deny these facts?

However, Mr. Fisher made at least a partially correct statement, “Small businesses are going bankrupt as never before over tyrannical regulations.” He neglected or failed to list even one “tyrannical regulation.” No. They went out of business because of Trump’s failure to handle the COVID crisis, denying it existed, not instructing us to wear masks, opening up the economy too soon, saying it would “go away,” until it got so far out of control that businesses were forced to shut down and go bankrupt. However, thanks to the Biden policies, against the Republican do nothing stance, many of these formerly failed businesses are being restored and new jobs are being added.

Mr. Fisher implied correctly that our federal spending has long been out of control. Both parties have contributed to this. However, huge deficit spending by Republicans, starting with Reagan,has far exceeded deficit spending by Democratic administrations. And yes, if we don’t get a handle on this we might see ourselves like Germany i, post World War I. Some history books show an individual in Germany pushing a wheelbarrow full of paper money, showing that its value as a commodity was greater than its currency value. Some protections against this possibility is to own things like gold, stored food, and land that can produce food.

Mr. Fisher, thank you for your criticisms, even though virtually all of them were baseless and without evidence. Did you get your training for writing while on the turnip truck? Like I wrote about Mr. Smith. “You are entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts.”

Jim Ferrell

Reader champions Biden administration actions

The presidential election has been over for four months now and every week I read an editorial about the “good old days” of the Trump presidency or how President Biden is ruining the country. I wish the nonsense would stop.

The bizarre conspiracy theories of David Jaronik are especially annoying. Joe Biden, who is not suffering from dementia, is governing as a centrist.

The stimulus bill is one example where the majority of Americans favor a $1,400 per person check for middle and low income families. If David regards this as a “socialist” policy, I would invite him to sign his stimulus check and mail it to me. (I will gladly reimburse him for the stamp.)

President Biden also proposed background checks for people purchasing guns, a comprehensive immigration reform package and increasing the minimum wage. All of these proposals are overwhelmingly supported by our citizenry.

Meanwhile, the Insurrection Party (the Republican Party died on January 6) has introduced 250 bills in 33 states that make it more difficult to vote. This party cares nothing about governing, but they care deeply about regaining political power. In Arizona, a state with zero cases of voter fraud, the Insurrectionists proposed a bill where the state Legislature could overturn the results of a statewide election. So much for democracy.

Dennis Crooks