'Pathetic benefit' rebuttal

In response to Delores DeAngelis and "Pathetic benefit," I would like to offer the following information.

When Crosswinds asked the Kiwanis Club of Pahrump Valley (a 501 (c) 3 organization) to co-sponsor the event "Help Our Heroes," at the very last minute, we gladly agreed. Both Karen McGlone and Connie Leist had already put in a tremendous effort.

As to the comment, "what a pathetic shame. For something as important as this and nobody cared about advertising the event." When a fundraising event is held we always try to get as much free publicity as possible. This was done. In her reference to the huge amount of advertising, we do not have the funds of the chamber of commerce from membership fees and grants. We do not sell space as the Fall Festival nor have an advertising budget that is paid for by the taxpayers, sponsors and vendors.

Connie handled the public service announcements on both KPVM Channel 41 and KNYE 95.1. Between the Pahrump Valley Times and the Mirror there were three different articles and "in the briefs" in several editions of both papers. There were at least 200 flyers put up at businesses all over the valley. There were donation cans in several businesses around town. I personally put flyers on almost every façade at the Wild West Extravaganza as well as handing them to many people.

There were several vendors who had said they would be at the event and donate a portion of their sales. Sadly, most of the vendors did not appear because of the cold and windy day, one of the first of the fall season. When the day before the event the food vendor become suddenly ill and had to withdraw, the Saddle West stepped graciously up to the plate (again) and provided a great food and beverage stand. The executive chef was wonderful. He even spent a good deal of his money at the auction. As to her reference that we drag the patrons out of the casino and restaurant and shake them down, that would be entirely inappropriate behavior for any Pahrumpian.

I do wish to thank all of the people who did attend and contribute to this event, especially 18 Kiwanis members who braved the wind and the cold. Chief Lewis was the bravest of them all; he got dunked by his wife and numerous other people (hope he didn't catch a cold) and we had the greatest display of Fire & Rescue vehicles. We were even treated to the first display of the ladder truck extended up to over 65 feet in the air. I wish to thank all of the bands that played until after 11 p.m. for our enjoyment. Pahrumpians do not know what they missed.

Maybe, if we can do this again, we can get some taxpayer money and corporate sponsors to pay for a big advertising campaign. Maybe, just maybe, we can get the citizens of Pahrump to attend.

MIKE JOHNSON

Immediate past president

Kiwanis Club of Pahrump Valley

Overt disobedience

Michael Miraglia proposed as part of his Patriot Reaffirmation Ordinance that all flags in Pahrump be flown in accordance with United States Code, Title 4. However, he presented this ordinance, PTO 54, at the October 10, 2006 town board meeting while wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a large American Flag.

This is an overt disobedience of Section 8d of the Flag Code which prohibits the use of the flag "on or as wearing apparel." Tsk. Tsk.

Apparently, Mr. Miraglia believes that respect for the flag should only be shown by others. Kinda reminds me of the pigs in Animal Farm who so loudly proclaimed "Some animals are more equal than others."

VICKY PARKER

Help local schools

Concerned citizens of Pahrump should know that their local school board has, in recent years, been populated by too many underqualified people.

Too many school board members use the office for personal agendas or just to call attention to themselves.

However, this year, the voters of precinct 6 have a chance to vote for something better.

Anyone who knows Harold Tokerud will agree with me that he is the best school board candidate to come around in a long time. He has spent four decades as a teacher, principal, and superintendent at public schools, including a few years in Pahrump and several years in Esmeralda County. He is an independent thinker and favors practical solutions.

What's more, throughout his career, the welfare of students has always been his highest priority.

If you want to help local schools, vote for Harold Tokerud for school board in precinct 6.

RUSSELL BECKLEY

Vote elsewhere

Election time is almost upon us again and I am bothered by one thing.

Every year there are polling places at elementary schools all over the nation. Used to be that these were held at neighbor's garages etc., but for some reason this was stopped.

Anyway the point I want to make is this: I have always objected to polling places at schools. In this day of predators, kidnappers and all sorts of sickos, I am appalled that we would even think of holding something like polling where anyone has access to our children.

I have stood in line at my polling place (not a school) and have seen people leave the line and ask someone to save their place for whatever reason. At a school, who knows, they might be seeking out a child.

No one polices the lines to see if everyone is there for the purpose of voting. A child molester or kidnapper could blend in with the crowd and no one would even notice if he wandered off.

How can we be sure our children are not in danger at this time?

There are plenty of other facilities that can be used for voting without exposing the children at these schools to all kinds of danger from sick adults.

JILL MURPHY

Stand by Old Glory

In an Oct. 13 Pahrump Valley Times opinion, I believe some miss the point on flag flying.

Our Constitution gives us many rights, but flying only an American flag goes farther than just having that right. Why did southern states remove the Confederate flag from capital buildings? Unconstitutional? I say yes to Southerners who fought in the Civil War under their flag, but removal was needed to keep public hostility down. So goes it with flying some other nations' flags with the exception of the UN.

Flying only Old Glory shows honor and due respect to those of us who gallantly served, are now serving or died for this country when it first became a nation to now in Iraq. We serve under one nation, fight under one flag so others may become citizens here.

There are times rights must be put aside not to invoke hate, discontent or cause riots to the intercity. Those wishing to fly another country's flag most likely never served this nation. Hanging it indoors should suffice. No need to advertise or impress passersby that your nationality its other than American.

As far as language, speak what you will. Use English when speaking to me or if you expect to work for me. To enter businesses of a different nationality, show me respect if I'm not able to understand your language. Stop using our Constitution as a crutch.

You will find over the years those from elsewhere forget or slowly lose their native tongue and conform to English as number one. As second generation, I no longer speak or understand much German. With each new generation born here, time changes everything. My opinion, you decide.

CHARLES A. HAGEN

Try reading the Constitution

My letter is in response to anyone who does not understand the definition of "illegal" and "undocumented." Apparently, they themselves have not read the proposed PTO 54 and have not read the Constitution of the United States nor the Bill of Rights.

First of all, if they have read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, they would know that the 14th Amendment, in the very first sentence, states, "All person born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

The Constitution of the United States starts out with, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Flying of the American flag and a flag of a foreign nation is covered under the United States Code, Title 4, which is stated in PTO 54. It may help if they read that code.

The following is a quote by Hon. Jack Brooks, chairman, Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives:

"For over 200 years, the Constitution has served as the cornerstone of our Nation's democracy and the principal guarantor of freedom and equality for all Americans. Yet, as important as these functions are, this remarkable document performs a perhaps even more vital role as a visible and enduring common bond between the diverse people of this great Nation."

And, to quote Theodore Roosevelt: "The one absolute certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, or preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities. We have but one flag. We must also learn one language and that one language is English."

There is nothing racist about having English as our official language. Every immigrant who has come to this country legally, who wants to be an American and who wants to better themselves speaks English.

To prevent any lawsuits, which the town of Pahrump could not afford the cost to defend, we have eliminated Sections 9, 10 and 11 from PTO 54.

The quote of the week from the Oct. 11 issue, page A12, could not have come at a more proper time: "Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain - and most fools do," said Dale Carnegie.

MICHAEL A. MIRAGLIA

Judge Brisebill rules

The Soroptimists of Pahrump had a "Shadow your Future" program, allowing a few female seniors from Pahrump Valley High School to shadow a professional woman for the day.

I requested Judge Brisebill as my professional and she kindly accepted. It was very exciting and nerve-wracking spending all day in a place I've never been, with a person I've never met.

Before court began, Judge Brisebill allowed me to pepper her with questions. Then she invited me to sit in the jury box and watch cases.

I happened to be lucky enough to shadow on potluck day and got to sit with the judge and clerks and witness the office dynamic.

The atmosphere was calm and friendly, but still very professional. Everyone was respectful and kind to each other and to me. This was the polar opposite of what I experienced while working in fast food service.

My hero of the day was Judge Brisebill. She was warm, patient and candid with me. She made me comfortable in her world. I watched her work with focus, skill and the quiet confidence of really knowing your job.

Judge Brisebill gave me the perfect template of how a female professional should be: honest, not cynical; candid, not snide; guided by law and guiding by experience.

Soroptimists, thank you. Please continue doing this for others. Judge Brisebill, thank you, with a big hug.

BRITTANY WILSON

Compact drew few responses

Just prior to the primary election I mailed, via U.S. Postal Service, a total of 36 copies of The Liberty Compact, which is a simple one paragraph agreement to all candidates for public office, local and statewide: "I pledge to the Citizens of the State of Nevada and to the American people, that as their representative I will work to: Promote liberty, not restrict it; shrink Government, not expand it; reduce taxes, not raise them; abolish programs, not create them; promote the freedom and independence of citizens, not the interference of government in their lives; and observe the limited, enumerated powers of the Constitution, not ignore them."

Anticipating responses from all candidates, I was shocked to receive only two answers - one of which was from a candidate for governor. The signed Compact was from a popular stripper, who also enclosed a personally autographed photo.

With plenty of previous experiences in elections, my original intent was to demand of current office seekers a kind of "truth in labeling" disclaimer: "Sir, or Madam: Would you be willing to submit to a lie detector test before opening your mouth?" But, thinking such an honest demand would be too harsh, I relented to the more popular politically correct above admonishment.

Where are the honest, ethical people that we taxpayers deserve? None of the letters this freedom lover mailed was returned as "undelivered." As a reasonable person, is it not a welcomed request for an honest response, by serious-minded candidates?

Yet, even in our liberal state of Nevada, a truthful response from a woman, which some people might regard as morally suspect, was convincing proof that silence is really not golden, but yellow.

Another frightening revelation is that a couple of graduate students at Princeton University have done serious research on the electronic voting machines, which are used exclusively throughout the U.S. - and found them to be vulnerable to manipulative fraud, while some of us are of the opinion that dead people are still voting in Boston and Chicago.

With my limited confidence, I will step into the voting booth Tuesday, Nov. 7, holding my nose with one hand and pulling the lever with the other with high hopes that the lesser of two evils who gains his booty will eventually realize that the United States Constitution is the greatest document ever devised by man and will abide religiously by his oath to defend it.

"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men," said Plato (429-347 B.C.), Greek philosopher.

VINCE BOGDAN

Partial birth abortion

"We must be the voice for those who will never be allowed to have a voice, our almost born babies."

Nov. 13, 2003, President Bush signed the Partial Birth Abortion Act into law, banning partial birth abortion.

The United States Supreme Court will make the final vote on this law Nov. 8. There will be no reversing their decision.

Partial birth abortion is a late-term and highly controversial abortion procedure. It is a gruesome and inhumane procedure that is never medically necessary and should be prohibited.

A baby is killed when he/she is only a few inches from being given full U.S. citizenship and the legal right to life.

The baby is alive when the partial birth abortion procedure is performed.

The surgeon pulls the fetus into a breach position, leaving only the head in the womb. He then forces scissors into the skull, removes them and inserts a suction catheter through which he suctions out the brain.

The baby is then delivered dead, and because he/she never took a breath, he/she is considered a fetus, not a child, and is not entitled to the legal right to life.

What does an unborn baby feel during this partial birth abortion? Horrific pain.

Contact everyone you know. Give them the information listed below. Encourage them to call. Make your voices heard.

By calling the Center for Moral Clarity, you will be authorizing them to send a petition to the Supreme Court on your behalf upholding the ban on partial birth abortion.

Help save "our unborn babies" from this atrocity.

This is not just murder, it is the worse form of torture known to mankind, and it is performed on our "almost born babies."

Call the Center for Moral Clarity toll free at 1-877-678-7673.

For more information, visit nrig.org

ART BALL

Show us the way

We are asking all of the adults of our community to please get out and vote. You may not think that your one vote will make much of a difference, but it can and it does -- especially to us -- the kids of Pahrump and Nye County.

We know that you are busy and have a lot of things to do, but please take the time and do it for us and for our future.

We need you to look carefully at the candidates and vote for the person you feel will do the best for our schools, our community and our state.

In school, we often vote for our friends or the most popular kids for offices, but we need you to vote for the best person -- not just for your best friend or someone you know.

Our future depends on having good leaders to guide us. We need you adults to show us that voting is important and that every vote counts.

Teach us why you vote for who you do -- so we can learn how to vote when we are older.

The girls and boys of Pahrump's Boy Scout Pack, Troop and Venture Crew 808

Thank you, Pahrump

Pahrump is a small, but mighty community and when people come together for a great cause, magic happens.

The staff, volunteers, patients and their families of Nathan Adelson Hospice would like to thank Dore Foskey and the wonderful group of people she worked with to put on the beautiful Fall into Style 2006 Fashion Show event that was held Saturday, Oct. 21 at the Pahrump Nugget.

The fashions were beautiful and the models exceptional, primarily because they were from right here in Pahrump. We have so much talent in our little town.

We want to thank the following participants: Joanna Party Gals, KFC, Pahrump Valley Floral, Saddle West Hotel & Casino, Brenda Magruder, Red Sky BBQ, Mimi's Cafe, Alberta Beitman, Water Rock Station, Supercuts, Wild Rose Florists, Furniture Warehouse, Pauline's Uneek Creations, Furniture 4 U, Perfect Pet, Romero's Restaurant, Get it Cheaper, Oscar Pest Control, Garden Oasis, Annie, DiMartino's Italian Restaurant, Martha Reedy, Bowlers Corner, Southside Nursery and Renee Propps.

Other incredible participants to thank are: Big O Tires, Albertson's, C & R Homes, Allendale Pet Center, Sonic, Sheriff Tony and Linda DeMeo, Magic Mop, Sharda Garrett, Gibson & Kuehn Attorneys at Law, Nancy Holman, Vonda Simmons and Kiwanis, Salacious Skin & Body Spa, the Golden Monarch Council, Anderson & Company, Willow Creek Golf Course, Pahrump Landscape Supply, Linda McLaughlin, Roman Horizon Tile, Linda Peterson, Graces Kitchen, Beverly Simmans, Pahrump Valley Disposal and Amy Ortiz.

Dore Foskey has done an incredible job bringing all the right people together to make each year better than the previous year. This year's event raised over $2,900. Thank you, Dore. Thank you to your wonderful volunteers and thank you Pahrump for your continued support of Nathan Adelson Hospice and its programs.

TONYA BRUM

Event/community relations coordinator

Nathan Adelson Hospice

The law must prevail

A clear and present danger prompts me to do my duty as a dedicated citizen. Therefore, I must report to you and to the whole population of Nye County that all elections county-wide have been severely flawed in that they are not verifiable in accordance with the highest law of our country.

Specifically, the Constitution of the United States declares that "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, . . ." (Article. IV., Section. 4.) This means honestly elected, true representative government.

As virtually all local election operations are commonly controlled behind closed doors by such as county clerks, the United States officials who would properly enforce the above mandate are not privy to the election materials and are therefore wholly unable to uphold this crucial law. Neither have said federal officials applied appropriate security to the assorted types of ballots cast, whether paper or as input into electronic machines prior to the final count. This makes it very easy for certain local officials to decisively manipulate all of our elections by switching false ballots or false electronic totals for good before the final count on election night. Meanwhile, we the people are not able to enjoy the constitutional guarantee so vitally important to our freedom and to the very special nature of our nation.

Logically, control of local government can be improperly enjoyed by a few connected and wealthy individuals and families as the probable result. Even the possibility of this outcome must be considered a high crime severely destructive to all we hold precious. I suspect that this mechanism has long been the hidden method used to politically enslave all residents of Nye County and surely involves the contribution made by local voters to federal races.

I call for the "shall guarantee" clause to be immediately enforced by the United States and particularly by the United States Justice Department, perhaps through intervention by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. No single person should have the power to control the outcome of our local elections. The Nye County Clerk has improperly possessed this power for far too long even as most citizen-voters have been unconscious of this danger to their liberty. That this deficiency is found all over the country makes no difference. The law is the law and to accept this situation is intolerable.

No simple remedy is available to the countless victims of this deficiency in law. I call for federal help in the form of a federal court order to set aside the most recent questionable election and to hold a new primary under exclusive federal direction and security. To go ahead with the upcoming general election without correcting the carried over results from the defective primary is terribly wrong. The law must prevail and the highest law must trump any lesser "laws." It is time to wake up and stop being complacent to this rape of our rights.

PAUL J. MILLER