
13 minute read
Letters
from May 23, 2013
The big lie
Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.
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I’m more than a little irritated by Obama these days. As an alternative journalist, I sacrifice a lot of things to work in an environment where I feel as free as possible. I don’t labor under any assumption that the United States is the land of the free, and I’m not sure that we ever were, but Obama’s incursions into fascism just frankly amaze and disgust me.
And most people would probably count me among his supporters since I voted for him twice. Faced with the same circumstances, I’d do it again. So I suppose you can guess how I feel about wealth redistributors like Mitt Romney and all his bankster friends.
But this bullshit about warrantless spying on the Associated Press and Fox News, and this administration’s prosecution of whistleblowers and singling out political adversaries for tax scrutiny—there are just too many things to enumerate them all—he’s a 21st century version of Richard Nixon. I mean Nixon had an enemies list. With his drones, Obama has a kill list.
Why this rant today? You got me. I was actually going to write about how after my first semester as a master’s student, I’ve got a 4.0 average, a frankly unbelievable statistic that surely cannot stand. You’d think I’d be in a good mood.
But allow me to continue with my rant: You know what Benghazi, Syria, was? It was a failure of public relations. There were 64 attacks on American diplomatic targets during the George W. Bush administration, according to Mother Jones. Benghazi was bad but normal. But if you read the recently released emails (from CNN, http://tinyurl.com/b22hg3c), it becomes apparent that this administration wasn’t looking for the gentlest or most accurate way to tell the truth, it was looking for the lie that looked most like a version of the truth. And if Obama’s people are lying about things that they could have told the whole truth about—with little reason to believe it would come back and bite them because it didn’t bite their predecessors—then what else are they lying about? —D. Brian Burghart brianb@newsreview.com
Gas is good
Re “We’re fracked” (Letters to the Editor, May 16):
After reading your letter regarding the so-called dangers of fracking, I would suggest that you watch the documentary Fracknation. It exposes the fraud involved in the anti-fracking movement, and any reasonable person viewing this documentary will realize that fracking is safer than most other forms of energy production. Fracking is certainly not perfect, but no energy production is. Reasonable people consider the necessity of certain forms of energy and the true risks involved. We can all desire to live in a Utopian world where no dangers exist, but that’s a truly foolish notion. Improvements in energy production are constantly developed and perhaps someday solar and wind energy will be possible, but at this time the technology simply doesn’t work, neither technically nor financially. Natural gas is the cleanest and least expensive form of energy available at this time. Instead of having American taxpayers continue to underwrite alternative energies that can’t function without those subsidies, we need to allow private industries using capitalism as a financing source to develop alternative energies. After all, the electric car supporters fail to acknowledge that coal is the source of developing electric power. Coal is a dangerous source to the miners and is not the cleanest form of energy. Our present administration has been instrumental in destroying coal as a source of energy that we rely upon. Fred Speckmann Reno
Hear! Hear!
Re “A beer to remember” (Feature story, May 9):
Great article, Brad, and the point of reference at the beginning really did work! It’s such a great feeling to witness and be a small part of the up-and-coming local craft beer scene here in Reno, and I for one welcome our new yeasty overlords with open arms (and stomach)—cheers! Brian Ball Reno
The crossing
I was crushed when they imploded the Mapes. Driven crazy when they parted out the Harrah’s Automobile Collection. Steamed when they said “nix” to the geothermal gardens at Moana Springs. And I’m ready to go postal if/when they screw up the old downtown mail station.
But the worst error of all— besides our misanthropic, malignant stoplight system—was the painful ramming-through of The Trench. Ouch, I was once proud of our rail heritage.
Not only is it ugly and require constant money to maintain, but it has cut off a vital traffic area.
I speak of the lack of passage by pedestrians, bicyclists and others to cross the river at Wells Avenue.
This has split that part of the city from barely-sustainable areas (the North side), to engagingly growing sections (South side).
It’s a chokehold on growth, and I’d bet there is even more crime in this now forgotten land where the homeless and hungry try to hide their shame for not keeping up with the Joneses.
I wouldn’t mind our City Council taking some action on getting a river crossing there.
Craig Bergland Reno
Emergency calls
Recently, in Rancho San Rafael Park I accidentally locked my 22-monthold daughter in my truck. I called 911 and was shocked that it took 23 minutes for REMSA to arrive—they can’t unlock a car—and 25 minutes for Reno Fire to arrive—they can unlock a car—with Washoe County deputy sheriffs arriving last. In the 23-minute period, I called 911 back twice. All three calls, the dispatch person was rude, unprofessional and unsympathetic. I know I sounded extremely frantic, but I thought 911 operators were trained to handle that and calm me down rather than be argumentative when I ask for an estimated time of arrival. I am offended, angry and beside myself that I was treated so poorly during an emergency. Washoe County, please train your dispatchers better. Our taxes pay the salaries of 911 operators, and the taxpayers deserve to be treated with respect especially during a crisis.
Alyna Harrall Sparks
Drunk kids
Underage drinking has become an increasing problem in recent years, throughout the country. A recent survey showed that, with a group of people aged 12 to 20, 26 percent used alcohol, and 17 percent binge drank in the 30 days prior. There are many factors that have lead to an increase in underage drinking, such as movies, commercials and billboards that advertise alcohol. All these factors make it seem “cool” or fun to drink because they never show the negative effects of drinking. Alcohol has become increasingly easier for teens to get. Oftentimes teens are able to get alcohol from friends or family, but the main way teens are getting alcohol now is with fake IDs. Alcohol can cause many long-term negative effects such as slowing down the development of the brain, becoming addicted to other drugs, academic failure, the possibility of death from motor vehicle accidents, or alcohol poisoning. Many movies only show the positive parts about drinking, such as having a good time and forgetting stressful situations. movies need to focus more on the Negative effects to give teens a realistic view on drinking. Nelson Brianne Nelson Sparks
Who’s fracked?
Re “We’re fracked” (Letters to the Editor, May 16):
A letter from Dawn Harris, founder of Frack Free Reno, claimed that “If the allegations about hydraulic fracturing are true,” a whole host of alarming things will happen to Nevada. The good news? The allegations aren’t true. But don’t take my word for it.
National Research Council: “Hydraulic fracturing a well as presently implemented for shale gas recovery does not pose a high risk for inducing felt seismic events.”
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: “After several months of operation, state-ofthe-art, 24-hour air monitors in the Barnett Shale area are showing no levels of concern for any chemicals. This reinforces our conclusion that there are no immediate health concerns from air quality in the area, and that when they are properly managed and maintained, oil and gas operations do not cause harmful excess air emissions.”
Former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson: “In no case have we made a definitive determination that the fracking process has caused chemicals to enter groundwater.”
U.S. Department of Energy and Ground Water Protection Council: “The amount of water needed to drill and fracture a horizontal shale gas well generally ranges from about 2 million to 4 million gallons. While these volumes may seem very large, they are small by comparison to some other uses of water, such as agriculture, electric power generation, and municipalities. Calculations indicate that water use for shale gas development will range from less than 0.1% to 0.8% of total water use by basin.”
U.S. Department of Energy and Ground Water Protection Council: “The development and production of oil and gas in the U.S., including shale gas, are regulated under a complex set of federal, state, and local laws that address every aspect of exploration and operation.”
Anti-oil and gas activists like Harris spend a lot of time talking about alarming allegations, but ignore the facts. It turns out the truth about hydraulic fracturing is significantly less scary, and the facts speak for themselves.
Courtney Loper Field Director, Energy in Depth
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THis ModeRn WoRld by tom tomorrow



Is the government too nosy?
Asked at Plumgate Shopping Center
Patricia Plenk
Retiree I think it is. I think it’s very invasive. When the Constitution was written, the government was given limited power, and I think that over the years they have become very comfortable in exceeding that power. They are very overreaching, and there are things that require a more personable touch when it comes to our states. The states know our minds and their own people.
Andrew Ayala
Graduate assistant I think when it comes to personal lives, the government is not too nosy. I think that holds true basically for public life, too. What I do find interesting is that the government isn’t too nosy, but a lot of commerce and American businesses are becoming nosier. And everyone seems OK with that.


Reno for Reno
Every time a national comedian like David Sedaris visits Reno and then takes a dump on us in the national media, there are two reactions from Reno residents. The first is one of horror: “Oh, my goodness, our tourism industry is on the ropes, how can we take another suckerpunch?” Then there’s the other group, let’s call them “Reno loyalists,” those of us who live here because we love it, and who have the confidence in our choices not to care what some New York pseudo-sophisticate has to say. (And by the way, has anyone identified that elderly, Count Chocula-T-shirt-with-sweat-pants-wearing-fan Sedaris claimed on the Daily Show to have met? We’d like to interview her. Still, the possibility that his fans wear Count Chocula T-shirts to his shows says more about him than it does Reno.)
To put it in economic terms, that national punchline Reno has become is known as “the market.” It’s the sum total of 80 years of public relations efforts by private interests and a failed public agency, the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority, which spends around $33 million in taxpayer money a year to promote tourism in Washoe County.
We don’t want to take a major tangent here, but the RSCVA should be dismantled and rebuilt. Keep the parts that work—management of the bowling stadium, for example—and return the room taxes to the businesses that generate them. Retire the debt, sell off the other facilities. Radical? Not from any business perspective.
Now, here’s why some Reno loyalists love “the market”: The market forces the major industry to recognize who its primary market is going to be in the future: us. We’re not saying anything casino managers don’t already know. The market will decide which of those towers survive as hotels and which become something else. This newspaper has long said we need a 20-30-something population living downtown in order for this city not to rot from the inside out. We’re not the first to recognize that at the same moment as some of those casino properties are figuring out what they will be, the University of Nevada, Reno wants to expand, and that’s going to mean students are going to need more living space. Think we’re the first to notice the handy and abundant parking and number of empty rooms in that Circus-Circus complex?
With our Biggest Little Best of Northern Nevada popularity contest coming up, we’re going to talk a lot about innovative people and companies this summer. Look around Reno at the many things that make this a great place to live—and getting better all the time. Those are the innovators who have refocused this community’s from external to internal. Look at Midtown. Look at East Fourth Street. Look at Dickerson Road. Look at the Holland Project. Look at the Pier Group. Look at the Reno Bike Project. Look at all the collaborative projects run by the creative class that are what we Reno loyalists have been talking about for 20 years.
Every living, vibrant thing in this world has a life cycle. Midtown had to get pretty ugly before it was affordable enough for the innovators to move in. Those with eyes to see can drive down Virginia Street and envision a Reno for Reno future. Ω Norman Thompson

Retiree No. In my opinion, no. I’ve had no experience with them intruding on my life or actually anybody’s life that I know of.
Beverle Deerfoot
Healer/massage therapist I don’t really know. Sometimes it’s a matter of safety, and other times it’s a matter of feeling personally invaded. I think, generally, there is a fear that the government is getting more and more invasive in a sense of access to personal information about us. Everything we do on the internet and all of our personal information. We just don’t know if it’s being used or not.
Bob LeMond
Real estate broker I don’t think so. People complain about taxes and all of that living in Nevada. It just doesn’t bother me. I’m just not bothered about all of this complaining and crying about the government. I think we’ve got a pretty good deal here. I don’t think the government is too invasive with me at all.