Click images for enlargements. Advertisement

It's a real shame

I have been a 10-year resident of Pahrump prior to living in Las Vegas. I have owned a few animals, one 16-year-old cat, three Nubian goats, one baby sheep and a 7-year-old beautiful Great Dane. We used to take our cat and dog to the northern end of the valley.

My cat became diabetic in Las Vegas and we had two wonderful vets that would see us anytime because of my cat's high and low sugar and a few years back up here we were taking him to this vet and spent a large amount of money.

Then one day I came home from work and my cat was on the bathroom floor with low sugar. I called the vet on the northern end of town and she said, "Take him to Vegas. I'm too busy, then I'm going home." My cat died a half an hour later because she wouldn't take the time. There is no compassion for the animals here. It's all about time and lots of money and no one has the time and they just don't care.

Our Great Dane we took for a check-up at the same place and told the vet we thought her hips were bad and she said, "Oh, there's nothing wrong with her hind quarters." This was two and a half years ago, two days before Christmas. She went outside and fell on her hind quarters and couldn't get up. My future husband and I had to bring her inside. We carried her. She's never been up since walking without our help.

We had another vet come out to our home with a wonderful nurse from the Quarter Horse Clinic. Too bad both are no longer there.

It's too bad for the poor animals that can't fend for themselves. They are family.

Our dog has a slipped disc and no one was ever willing to help her. I hope these vets here can go home and sleep at night. The old saying is you get what you pay for. It's really sad for the cats and dogs in the Pahrump Valley. I wouldn't go to any of these vets. I won't have another animal after my dog. Not in this valley. It's all about money.

I had a letter last week from a girl who wrote in about her dog and I went to the vet's house and didn't get any response. I know where she's coming from. The same ones let my cat die. It's a real shame.

SUSAN BECKED

Don't aim just at Hispanics

After reading article after article of opinions in the letters to the editor section, I feel compelled to respond. In almost every article I read there is a mention of the disrespect or dishonor of our forefathers.

Being a Hispanic woman (born in the U.S., of course, to legal Americans) I am 100 percent for legislature and reform of illegal immigration. However, I am for reform of all illegals, not only the Latino culture.

I do believe that the American flag is rightfully the only flag that should be representing this country, I do believe that English should be the national language, and I do believe that all people living in the U.S. should pay taxes (although I cannot agree with the way our government spends those taxes, but that is an article for another time...).

What gets me is the way our government is handling this problem we call illegal immigration. I feel that those who are here without legal status who are willing to legalize themselves and reform to American laws should be allowed to stay and live the American dream.

However, those who come here illegally and become gang members, career welfare recipients, drug traffickers and those who would live outside the law should definitely be dealt with accordingly by being sent packing to their native countries.

Let's face it, America -- these types of people come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. For instance, in my opinion after Sept. 11 our country should have forced out all Middle Eastern illegals and put a law into action that wouldn't allow for anyone of that country/nation into the U.S. period.

Mexicans didn't come here and use our country to educate themselves in the art of commercial flight and then take that experience and education and use it against us. I am angry about that because our nation as a whole continues to live in fear of another terrorist attack and yet we do nothing about it. We are sitting ducks.

No, wait, we are protesting ducks who protest illegal immigration instead of the big picture which is really no one should be allowed here if they are to harm, intend to break the law, expect help from a country they don't support and want to shake the foundations of a country built to help those seeking freedom.

The constant reminders of our forefathers is shaky ground in that these are the same forefathers who forced the American Indians from their land and built reservations and forced them to live there or die. The same forefathers who introduced and supported slavery for hundreds of years and even started a Civil War over it. The same forefathers who didn't allow women the right to vote, get a higher education, or own property.

So in my opinion, if the illegal immigrants are disrespecting our forefathers by coming here and not speaking English and working under the radar and not paying taxes ... The forefather came and invaded and now that they are being invaded, all hell is breaking loose over it.

Well, that's not disrespect, it's called karma, and for those of you out there who brag about being pure American, well, that's a bunch of crapola.

In my opinion the real Americans are the American Indians. The rest of us are immigrants or descendants thereof.

The bottom line is this, we are all human, we create laws to establish society so that we may live in harmony and feel safe. We should be attacking anyone who takes that from us no matter what nationality, creed, sex, religion they may be.

This is America, we speak American, we love our country and our flag, we don't take freedom for granted, we believe in justice for all.

If you can't agree with that, then yes, get the heck out of our country.

ANNA MADRID

Don't raise taxes on Pahrump

Your intentions are good but, really, who is going to pay for all these wonderful things for teenagers to use, and are there enough teenagers to support those businesses?

We all were teenagers once, and I wasn't bored. Why don't the schools have inside things to do in the summer?

Pahrump is not a big city, never was, and I suggest that maybe you can come up with something that wouldn't raise taxes on all of the people who live in Pahrump.

Remember, not all the people have teenagers either.

RONALD J. MARSDEN

Hope someone's got a gun

Ms. Schmidt and Ms. Benefield, you should be thankful that many Americans carry arms.

Do you remember Luby's Restaurant in Killeen, Texas? Twenty-two killed, 20 wounded when some crazy walked in and opened fire. Trouble was that none of the patrons were armed.

I assure you the death toll would have been less if someone could have returned fire.

In contrast, do you remember the incident at Shoney's Restaurant in Anniston, Ala.? There 22 patrons and staff were herded into a walk-in freezer. Patron Thomas Terry did have a firearm which he used to prevent a similar tragedy as Luby's. Yes, ladies, we should all be thankful these brave men and women are carrying weapons, whether open or concealed. You neven know when it might be you standing in the wrong place. You just better hope one of your fellow diners, shoppers, worshipers, students or meeting members is there to stand up for you when it happens.

O.B. PERKINS

Paying for lies

Our elitist, arrogant government of the politicians, by the politicians, and for the politicians, suffered a setback Thursday, June 28. The Amnesty bill went down in flames.

The bill was about amnesty, amnesty, and more amnesty. President Bush and Sen. Reid said it wasn't, but it was.

How interesting -- we actually pay these guys to lie for a living.

We made so many phone calls to Capitol Hill that we blew out the switchboard. Good work. We said no to amnesty. We won. And we didn't have to lie to do it. Power to the people.

GARY MARCHINKE