Opinion

Letter To The Editor: Concerns With County Financial Disclosure Forms And Public Access Procedures

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By EDWARD BIRNBAUM
Los Alamos

The Feb. 3 issue of the Los Alamos Daily Post had a story (link), which caught my eye regarding the violation of the Code of Ethics in Hobbs as reported by State Auditor Tim Keller. Apparently, Hobbs public officials were not filing the required financial disclosures and perhaps more importantly, were not recusing themselves from voting on official business issues when their personal financial interests were involved.

Members of the County Council and the Board of Public Utilities here in Los Alamos are responsible for making decisions involving many millions Read More

Letter To The Editor: Proposal For Workable Firearms Transfer Background Check Law

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By KHALIL SPENCER
Los Alamos

A couple of us have thought of a background check proposal that might accomplish most or all of what we really want but with far less acrimony. So here is an idea if this is to be revisited again and assuming for the moment that the present bills are not resurrected. I’ve stolen some ideas from a colleague (with thanks) but modified them with my own additions, so any rotten fruit should be thrown at me alone. Here would be the basis of the law.

1. It is of material and social benefit to society to verify that a person unknown to you is not a prohibited person before selling or transferring Read More

Letter To The Editor: Response To North Mesa Stables Complaint

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By LAUREN GRIFFITH
Los Alamos

I have to completely agree with Joann Johnson (letter) about the objections made by Olga Chertkov (letter) regarding the North Mesa Stable area. I cannot help but think this is the ranting of someone who bought a house near the stables and now regrets it because they don’t like the smell.

The fact that Chertkov has demanded the stables be moved or closed down shows this person has one interest, and that is themselves. If Chertkov truly believed it was detrimental to the environment, why suggest it be moved as one of the options? In theory, the same impact to the environment Read More

Letter To The Editor: Significant Soil Contamination At Los Alamos Horse Stables

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By OLGA CHERTKOV
Los Alamos

I have read the letter to the Los Alamos Daily Post from JoAnn Johnson, “North Mesa Stable Area Objections Are Much Ado About Nothing!”, and I see that she does not care at all about opinion of other citizens of Los Alamos, her ignorance looks like this:

… You should be happy to live next to my horse … She was there first … you have no choice … waste of time and resources … There will be no changes… .

Her argument that in the 1960’s the horse stables were considered free from contaminations holds no merit today, 50 years later. During the last 50 years the horse stables have Read More

Letter To The Editor: Insistence That Only Bias Motivates Media Does Not Assist In Search For ‘True Facts’

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BY TERRY GOLDMAN
Los Alamos

 
While I certainly agree Mr. Nebel (link) that the media take their own slant, in general, for their own purposes (sales), on issues they report, I find it curious that in his review of newspaper history he does not mention the New York Times, which was formed with the stated goal of being as accurate and complete as possible, in response to the so called yellow journalism of the time, to which he does refer.
 
Of course, one is free to disagree on how well this has been done, both initially and over time, but the insistence that only bias motivates the various media
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Letter To The Editor: North Mesa Stable Area Objections Are Much Ado About Nothing!

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By JoAnn Johnson
Longtime stable owner
Los Alamos

I believe that Olga Chertkov’s objections about the North Mesa Stable Area made March 9 to the Parks and Recreation Board are like reinventing the wheel.

My family had horses on North Mesa for 36 years. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the same objections about flies, manure, overall appearance of the area and noise at rodeo time were made by Barranca Mesa residents whose houses are directly across the Canyon from the stables. And yes, the proposal was made to relocate the stables to Rendija Canyon. That idea has never proved to be practical.

After Read More

Letter To The Editor: Slanted Press Is Nothing New

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By RICHARD NEBEL
Los Alamos 

This is in response to letters from Ms. Dolejsi (link), Ms. Remillieux (link) and Mr. Visel (link) about “Freedom of the Press”.

One thing that Mr. Visel states in his letter is that “No one can trust CNN or the mainstream media anymore”. The part I take issue with is the “anymore” part of the statement. The press has always been slanted.

Many of the newspapers that were founded in the 19th Century were founded and owned by the political parties. For instance, the Chicago Tribune was founded by the Republican party. Do you think they were interested in “fair

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Letter To The Editor: Background Checks Needed For All Gun Sales

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By CATHY WEBER
Los Alamos
 

I am writing because I support  requiring background checks for all gun sales. As a mom and member of Moms Demand Action, I know gun safety is good for kids and families.

 

Right now, the New Mexico legislature is considering bills that would expand criminal background checks for gun sales to include purchases from unlicensed sellers over the Internet and at gun shows. The background check bill would close the dangerous unlicensed sale loophole and make it harder for criminals to buy guns from strangers in unlicensed sales at gun shows.

 

Weak gun Read More

Letter To The Editor: If You Really Want A Background Check Bill Passed … Tell ‘Moms’ And ‘Everytown’ To Sit Down, Shut Up, And Listen

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By KHALIL J. SPENCER
Los Alamos
 
I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry when I read the latest pro “background check” letter (by Amber Espinosa-Trujillo) in what seems to be an orchestrated letter writing campaign by Everytown for Gun Safety/Moms Demand Action.

Indeed, it has probably been the tone-deafness and intransigence of that group (both “Everytown” and “Moms” are names for “Astroturf” organizations supported by New York City billionaire Michael Bloomberg) that have stood in the way of a background bill passing out of the legislature.

The out of state lobbyists and their Read More

Letter To The Editor: Strip ’Em To Their Skivvies And Light One Off!

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By Dr. T. DOUGLAS REILLY
Los Alamos
 

Back in the 1970’s, Harold Agnew,* third director of Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL), presented a Director’s Colloquium to explain his congressional testimony regarding a proposed Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). He feared the world’s leaders would soon forget the destructive power of nuclear weapons, so he proposed the following:

“Every five or so years, gather the world’s leaders on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific, ‘strip ’em to their skivvies,’ and ‘Light one off!’ First they’d be blinded

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