Opinion

Letter To The Editor: Absurd Number Of Guns In U.S.

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By Douglas and Dorothy Reilly
Los Alamos

Recent media articles have discussed the problem of guns, and school and mass shootings. The basic problem here is the absurd number of guns in the USA; our country has over 11 times as many guns per 100 citizens as the average of the rest of the world.

There are about 88 gun deaths per day in the USA. Barely 2 percent of these are mass shootings, over 80 percent are suicides, and the rest domestic arguments, police shootings, and accidents. The availability of a gun makes a suicide or a domestic incident much more likely to result in death.

After the Sandy Hook Elementary Read More

Letter To The Editor: A President’s Day Lament

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By BILL MEAD
Los Alamos

The USA is caught in a slow-motion disaster, the worst in several decades. 

The roots of the disaster are deep, but the rise of the neo-conservative movement, Fox News, a fleet of conservative pundits, and the Tea Party mark the beginning. These new forces have led to the emergence of a radical, populist constituency with leadership such as Paul Ryan, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump who are intent on changing the core values and government of the USA—whatever it takes.

By 2016, this long-standing political divide had hardened into a fierce partisan battle for the Presidency. Read More

Letter To The Editor: Family Of Ronald B. Swartz Thanks Los Alamos And White Rock Community

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By AUDRA BURDELL

Santa Fe

 

My uncle, Ronald B. Swartz, was the gentleman who was hit in the head by a flying rock in White Rock recently. Sadly, he passed away as a result of his injuries.

His funeral will be held this coming Friday in Santa Fe. He was a wonderful man and I wish you could have known him.

On behalf of my extended family, I would like to express my appreciation to all those in the Los Alamos/White Rock community, especially to the off-duty first responder who was at the scene and immediately stepped up to help Ronnie, Los Alamos Fire Department Station 3 and Los Alamos Police Department. Read More

Letter To The Editor: Perfect Powder

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By LYNN HANRAHAN
Los Alamos

Sitting in the car today outside the Unitarian Church waiting for my younger daughter to finish her piano lesson, my older daughter asked me to guess the five questions the paramedics asked her in the ambulance on the ride to the hospital two days ago. I really had no idea so I said just tell me. These were the questions: Are you pregnant?, Are you depressed?, Are you homicidal?, Is someone in your household homicidal?, and Do you fear living at home? 

I wish this somehow had surprised me but it didn’t. She went to LAMC on the advice of her pediatrician when a very Read More

Letter To The Editor: Second Class Citizens Get Second Class Road Repairs In White Rock

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By ELLEN WALTON
White Rock
 
Recently loads of dirt and gravel mixed with what looks like petroleum were dumped on the sides of the road in Pajarito Acres and La Senda under the guise of shoulder repair. The work was announced Jan. 5, 2018 in the Los Alamos Daily Post (link).
 
This mixture seen in the photos of the work has done nothing to address the actual crumbling and disappearing asphalt. It has, however, created a very hazardous, slippery, ugly and messy condition for pedestrians, bicycles and animals, which share the roadway with vehicles. The dust created by this mixture
Read More

Letter To The Editor: Kathleen Parker, Back At You

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By KHAL SPENCER
Los Alamos
 
Kathleene Parker (link) notes that I did not comment on the hot-button issue of immigration. That was the point of one of my other points–specifically, don’t create hot button issues.
 
Immigration is the obvious one. Both the left and right are staking out combative positions on immigration and playing to their respective bases while eschewing common ground.
 
The right has a valid point that illegal immigrants, whether DREAMers or otherwise, are here illegally. If the nation has immigration laws, they need to be either obeyed or changed
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Letter To The Editor: Response To Spencer Commentary

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By KATHLEENE PARKER
White Rock

Since Khal Spencer invited “disgruntled” Democrats to weigh in on how the party can win elections again, allow me. I come from generations of Democrats, but am now registered as an Independent. The party left me; I didn’t leave it.

I find it telling that Spencer, in his long list of things the party should do, made no mention of the hottest hot-button issue in recent history: Immigration. That’s critical at a time when Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have arrived at a position – as they blame Republicans – that is fundamentally, “It’s absolutely 100 percent our Read More

Letter To The Editor: ‘Grandma Calls’

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By JOANN JOHNSON
Los Alamos

I guess because of my age, I continue to get scam “Grandma” calls.

I just got one that started with a male voice saying, “Hi Grandma”. When I asked which grandchild it was, I was told the oldest one. My oldest is female.

I asked him to tell me his name. He said, “are you kidding?” I said, “tell me your name”. That ended the phone call.

PLEASE, when you get one of these calls, insist they tell you their name. They know you are a grandparent but don’t know your grandkids’ names. 

These calls usually end by asking you to send money.

–Old Grandma Johnson

Read More

Horne: Los Alamos County Politics

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By JOHN L. HORNE
Formerly of Los Alamos
 
Since my departure from Los Alamos in November, I have missed so many people that I was blessed to know for the past 44 years that I lived there.
 
No place we live is perfect, but there are certain elements that seriously detract from the good. Those elected or appointed to government positions should listen to and serve the people in their community. I personally do not miss that faction of Los Alamos County.
 
I believe there are many devious, self-serving individuals who have previously and currently hold positions on the Los Alamos County
Read More

Spencer: Dems Have To Learn To Win Elections Again

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By KHAL SPENCER
Los Alamos

Upon reading former Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s recent endorsement of Damon Martinez for Congress as published in the Los Alamos Daily Post, my first question was “Huh? What district?”. Since I doubted Jeff would be blind siding our incumbent, I checked to see where Mr. Martinez is running and indeed, it is in District 1, Albuquerque. Ok, so not a big issue for those of us out in the Provinces. Except for dealing with those trying to mine District 3 wallets for the District 1 race.

But on a more serious note, I was disappointed that the best that our former Senator Read More