Opinion

Newspapers Across America Speak Out In One Voice Today Against Attacks On Press

By JUDY PATRICK
Vice President
New York Press Association
#FreePress

We’ve been complacent.

We thought everybody knew how important a free press was to our world and that all this talk about us being the enemy of the people would be dismissed for the silliness that it is.

But the reckless attacks have continued, instigated and encouraged by our president.

When the leader of the free world works to erode the public’s trust in the media, the potential for damage is enormous, both here and abroad. We once set an example of free and open government for the world to follow. Now those who seek to suppress Read More

Letter To The Editor: Regarding GRT Tax

By RICHARD NEBEL
Los Alamos
 
I have a question for Lisa Shin regarding the GRT tax she discussed in her recent column. While I’m not a big fan of the GRT, I think that it is highly likely that it will be reimposed on LANL.
 
I think that the most likely scenario is that we will have both a Democratic governor and a Democrat controlled legislature after the election. Los Alamos County isn’t the only county that receives GRT money from LANL. The counties adjacent to Los Alamos also receive funding. These counties are heavily Democratic, and I doubt that they are going to be inclined
Read More

Letter To The Editor: Dropping Atomic Bombs Saved Millions Of Lives

By Dr. T. Douglas Reilly
Los Alamos

Today, Aug. 9, 2018 is the anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki with Fat Man. War is always hell and civilians are now the majority of the victims.

Consider that over 50 million lives were lost during WWII; over 25 million were Russian, roughly 400,000 were from the USA. Sec’y of War Henry Stimson once said that the estimated deaths from the planned assault on mainland Japan, Operation Downfall, was half to one million Americans and eight to 10 million Japanese.

As a Los Alamos History Museum docent, I’ve had several visitors who’ve told me stories like this:

“I Read More

Head2Head: It Takes Two

By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
bjgordon623@ladailypost.com

This is a new ongoing column on how to civilly disagree without compromising your core beliefs. This doesn’t mean that someone can’t change your mind. It means you don’t have to pretend you believe something you don’t.

I’m uncomfortable with the idea that the best way to handle what appears to be a political and cultural chasm in American society is to just shut up. We learn by opening ourselves to new ideas and exposing our own ideas to scrutiny and debate. How can you understand where someone is coming from if you never talk to

Read More

Newton: Ariadne Is A Triumph

Brenton Ryan (Dancing Master) and Amanda Majeski (Composer). Photo by Ken Howard for Santa Fe Opera
 
Sarah Tucker (Echo), far left, Samantha Gossard (Dryade), Meryl Dominguez (Najade), and Amanda Echalaz (Prima Donna/Ariadne). Photo by Ken Howard for Santa Fe Opera
 
By CARL NEWTON
Los Alamos

In May 2017 I wished that the 2018 Season would include Ariadne, and then came the announcement that it would. I had seen Ariadne in 1990 and 1999 when John Crosby was the General Director. I credit Crosby with my love for Richard Strauss operas.

Ariadne is quite different from Strauss’ other Read More

McQuiston: Why Some Dogs Are In Insurance Doghouse

By ALLEN MCQUISTON
The Jemez Agency
 
I have a number of friends – and clients – who are dog lovers. Some are more passionate than others about their four-legged friends and this can lead to uncertainty, confusion, and even anger over insurance company rules pertaining to canines.
 
The typical insurance company policy regarding dogs is usually simple: if an account has a prohibited breed of dog, the insurance company will not offer a homeowner insurance policy to the homeowner.
 
In other situations, however, an insurance company might provide homeowner insurance but will
Read More

Letter To The Editor: Code Enforcement: Level 2

By BRADY BURKE and HELEN MILENSKI
Candidates for Los Alamos County Council
 
With all the negative publicity that the County Council and County government have subjected themselves to over the past few years, we were surprised to see the County’s recent attempt to grant themselves access onto your property in the name of code enforcement.
 
At the Aug. 7, 2018 regular session of County Council, an ordinance was proposed under the misdirecting title ‘Addressing and Road Naming’. As one reads through it, it sounds like it mostly deals with how the County wants to name and number roads.
Read More

Letter To The Editor: Would Local Establishments Consider A Few Ideas?

By MONIQUE BEYERLE 
Los Alamos
 
Would local establishments consider a few ideas?
 
  • Encouraging people to bring their own reusable containers (ie. doggy bags, beverage containers, grocery bags and don’t forget about fruit and vegetable bags- these are available at our co-op to name a few). Maybe offering a modest reward (5-10 cents off or a coupon or a social media shout out)? Less waste, fewer costs = everyone wins. Starbucks is good about this with their beverage containers and Smith’s with their fuel points.
  • Offering disposable utensils on request instead of providing
Read More

Letter To The Editor: Crimes And Misdemeanors, II: If More People Were Paying Attention…

KHAL SPENCER
Santa Fe

As one of Lynn Hanrahan’s former neighbors, I’d like to thank her for writing her letter (link) and also, for paying attention to the good of her children and of the community. I know her kids well, and her fine parenting certainly shows.

In closing her letter, she wants us to tell her if her kids are doing stupid things (I kind of doubt they are) since their lives may depend on timely intervention. Well, the rest of our lives depend on it, too. A disaster to one may mean disaster to others. When someone is obliviously texting their way down a roadway, stealing guns from

Read More

Letter To The Editor: Crimes And Misdemeanors

By LYNN HANRAHAN
Los Alamos

No one wants to be the nosey parent, the busy body parent, or the prig homeschooling parent. No one wants to see their children or their children’s friends make really stupid and dangerous decisions. 

Last week my youngest daughter’s girlfriend was hiking up to the reservoir with some of her friends. When they got to the top they saw some bikes and thought it would be funny to take them and ride them down, so they did. The LAPD were waiting for them at the bottom. The officer had the girls ride the bikes back up to the owners who refused to press Read More