Letters

Tread the boards

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

For years, I’ve said that one of my favorite things about living in Reno is that the city is large enough to support a thriving arts scene, but small enough that it’s easy to get involved. But lately, it’s harder to keep up. I’m willing to admit that’s partly because I’m getting older. I’ve got more responsibilities now than I did when I was 26, when my main source of income was hanging out in the art museum telling people not to touch the paintings. My secondary source of income back then was freelance writing, mostly for this newspaper, and my beat was local arts, so that made it easy. And my tertiary source of income was playing in rock bands, which was a good excuse to stay up late. All of my jobs back then facilitated a lifestyle in which checking out local the arts was my raisond’être.

But I’ve heard similar comments from other people. It’s just a bigger, busier city now. We Reno folks now have to make tough decisions with what to do with our Friday nights.

A positive side to this tyranny of choice is that it’s possible to engage with one sector of the local arts scene, disengage with it, and then come back a few months or even years later to see how it’s changed.

I recently caught a couple of local theater performances—both of which were excellent, and played to packed, enthusiastic houses. The first was WordsToLiveBy, Bruka’s Mary Bennett’s one-woman play exploring the life and work of the great writer Dorothy Parker. It was paired with TheBalladOfFrankee &Matilde, a fun little love story between two clowns.

The second performance was HandtoGodover at Good Luck Macbeth Theatre. I think everyone here at the RN&R office was inspired to see it after the rave review by our theater critic, Jessica Santina, a few weeks ago. It was bitingly funny, profound and disturbing.

Both of those of plays have finished their runs, so I can’t exactly recommend them, but if you’ve never followed the local theater scene, or, if, like me, you just haven’t followed it closely the last couple of years, get to it.

Standard justice

Initially, I was indifferent, if not open to Neil Gorsuch as a nominee to the Supreme Court. In large part, I was open because I am so tired of the extreme politicization of the process of nominating and confirming judges. However, as I learned of his rulings, which repeatedly favored corporations over people, I became very concerned.

Gorsuch ruled against a trucker who was fired when he temporarily left his truck, after repeatedly calling and waiting for help, due to hypothermia and the real risk of death. He ruled against a special needs student seeking an appropriate education. He ruled against a woman seeking fair treatment from her employer. He sides with business when there are pension disputes.

Why did supporters say the nominee must be in the style of Scalia? When did that become the standard? Will the Republicans then nominate a liberal justice in the style of Ginsberg should she choose to step down? Ideology should not be the biggest “driver” of who is nominated to the court.

Joan Bohmann Sparks

Getting some

Re “More on sex workers” (Let Freedom Ring, March 30):

It may come as a complete surprise to Brendan Trainor, but most males don’t have to “pay” for sex. Now, perhaps in his case, that’s the only way any women will get naked with him, given his—ahem— “special” personality and physical attributes. But those of us who consider females to be actual human beings, instead of pieces of meat to be bought and sold, manage to somehow get women to bed us simply by being decent human beings. This is a characteristic seemingly lost on persons of Brendan’s special, libertarian ilk.

Chris Rosamond Reno

Budget woes

The Trump budget is short-sighted, racist, and ignores the needs of the most vulnerable of Americans. It represents not a vision of a future of America where all can prosper but a vision put forward by a handful of rich, Caucasian Americans who feel like they are doing just fine.

The budget ignores a need for clean energy and research into energy efficiency while earmarking more money to increase dependence on fossil fuels. It includes a $1.4 billion increase for public and private school choice programs while eliminating funding for before- and after-school and summer programs. Federal work-study would also be “significantly reduced” while the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, which is reserved for needy college students, would also be eliminated. The Department of Justice recommendations include decreasing funding for previously “mandatory” programs such as the Crime Victims Fund and prison infrastructure in order to offset increased spending on immigration judges and border enforcement.

Ryan Budman Reno

April fools

Re “Sparks sues Reno for slander” (cover story, March 30):

That’s funny. Both of your cities should be sued by it’s business’ and residents for purposely tanking your cities by adhering to Wall Street interests instead of fighting and winning the war on gaming tourism with Northern California and other Northwest states. I know this because if you had spent one-one hundredth the time listening to other people instead of making secret backroom deals, the cities’ most talked-about product would not be crystal meth. But big money is sacrificing this town now, so investors and stockholders can reap because the industry here is nothing but lame duck management with another agenda.

Russell Pawlowski Sparks

ERIK HOLLAND

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