Recipe for disaster

Who could have imagined that in America we would be watching tens of thousands of foreigners who entered this country illegally, marching in our streets, carrying foreign flags and demanding "their" rights in a foreign language?

As our cities are disrupted, the local authorities stand by, apparently impotent or unwilling to enforce the laws of our land.

This by any measure is anarchy and it matters not from what country the lawbreakers have come.

A country that refuses to enforce their own laws to protect their citizens will not stand.

Our founding fathers, in their wisdom and vision, imagined and provided future leaders with the tools necessary to protect our borders and the legal citizens within them. Our leaders today have not served us well.

If the tide of illegal immigrants continues, and all the jobs are filled and the social services are exhausted, what then?

I suggest it is a recipe for disaster and hopefully those who were entrusted to prevent it will be held accountable.

Our forefathers who struggled to come here legally, from many different countries, deserve better, and it is our duty to protect what they worked so hard to attain.

YVONNE SABLICH

Requesting reconsideration

To: Nye County commissioners

Re: Rezoning of my property

You currently have plans to rezone our property RE-2. We have a mini-storage on this property and it has been that way since the early 1980s.

We didn't just buy this property and now want it rezoned. We pay the higher property taxes and the higher electric bills. Since we pay the higher prices, we feel that it is only fair that our property be zoned "commercial."

I have talked to the planning department, planning commissioners and the company that has done the surveying of the county. Everyone feels that we should pay to have our property zoned "commercial." Why should we pay when every other business up and down Mesquite Avenue has been zoned commercial.

Our business has been around long before any of those businesses, but we were left out.

An example of this is: mini-storage down on Linda is located one lot in from Mesquite Avenue (just like our property) and that property is zoned "commercial." We respectfully request that we be put on the list to have our property reevaluated by the planning department and Nye County commissioners.

CARMELA STALKER

Banuelos one of the greats

Pahrump Little League president Lou Banuelos is a great man and leader of youth in a community that is full of great people. Lou was my baseball coach while I was in Little League 10 years ago. He was the last of many great coaches I was able to be around at a young age in Pahrump.

Baseball is such a great opportunity to teach young people life skills that are not taught in school. The great love and caring for people is something we can all learn more about. These men and women that have spent so many years of service in the community need more praise and recognition for what they do, and will continue to do.

I can remember Chuck Fisk would travel from Baker, Calif., to coach my Little League team. Dan Harris spent many years coaching and sponsoring teams. The Stevens, Wagner, Moore and Herdon families have all done their part to improve the community. The list should go on and on to thank the wonderful people who do their best to help teach young people what life is really about.

I played five years in Pahrump Little League and graduated from Pahrump Valley High School in 2000. I currently reside in Orem, Utah and attend Utah Valley State College. I just want to personally thank all of the people that made Pahrump Valley a great place to grow up as a kid.

ADAM BEESLEY

Wearing of weapons

This is an open letter to the gentleman (and I use that word very loosely) that called my home at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 23, with the nasty comment about my letter that had appeared in the Times Friday June 22, regarding the wearing of weapons in the Bob Rudd Center, and any place else for that matter.

Sir, I did not say that you didn't have a right to wear your gun, I merely stated my opinion that I thought it looked childish, and evidently from the remark you said to me, and I quote, "If I didn't like it, I could get the G-damn hell out of town," in your case I wasn't too far off base.

It's attitudes like yours that make sense to ban the wearing of weapons at meetings at the Rudd center something to consider.

By the way, just in case you haven't noticed, another constitutional right we have in this country is free speech. The next time you are offended by something you read in the paper, pick up a pencil (if you have the ability to operate it) and exercise your free speech right instead of the childish prank of calling me at home and making stupid remarks on the phone.

Once again, the perfect example of the difference between class and cowboy.

JANE SCHMIDT

What about teens?

I am a concerned parent and I am appalled at the lack of activities offered to our town's teenagers.

I personally know there is only so many times they can go to the Pahrump Nugget, and even they slowly go bored out of their minds. Even the officials at the Pahrump Nugget do not want them on the premises if they are not spending money inside the bowling alley.

Since when did it become the Pahrump Nugget's responsibility to watch over these lonely teens?

The only other alternative is to go "hangout" at the Burger King parking lot. Even they do not want this because it makes them look bad, and I can't blame them.

I have talked to several teens (being a parent of two teenagers) and they feel too "old" to go "play" at Skate Zone and they can only go the skate park on Honeysuckle Road so many times, and even that gets boring to them.

Besides, it is getting too hot out now to enjoy the outdoors.

There is a lot of talk about home builders coming to town and the impact fees that will be paid. Even new businesses coming in will be responsible for some fees too. New roads, new signal lights and new schools will be added to tour town.

How come I haven't heard about new business or opportunities coming in for our town's teens?

I really feel they are being swept under the carpet and being shuffled from one establishment to another.

The sad part is these poor kids have no say in the expansion of our town. No wonder these kids get into trouble with drugs and drinking. They are bored.

Wouldn't it be fun to have a strip mall with eateries, games, and shops so they can "let down" with friends and have fun? What about an indoor miniature golf glow-in-the-dark fun place? A large recreational center with two or three indoor pools, pool tables, rock climbing, etc., just to name a few?

Or, how about a "teen zone" with arcades, big couches, dancing, refreshments, just a place to call "their" own?

What about a Pizza Hut, a movie theater (we hear it is really coming now), indoor go karting, or some kind of an amusement park?

I think even a Chuck E. Cheese would be fun for the younger kids.

I think an indoor ice skating rink would do well out here. How about a business called Fly Zone, an indoor place full of trampolines so kids can jump around?

Come on Pahrump. It is time to invest in our children too. We are not all senior citizens. We need to become more family oriented. Let's not lose them to boredom.

KAROLE BUDIK

Help on the road

On Friday, June 22, my friend and I were driving back from Vegas after she had her eye surgery. My car overheated about a mile from the fire station. I pulled the car off to the side of the road.

Many cars passed us by on their way to Pahrump. Two young men pulling a trailer going the wrong direction turned around to help two mature ladies. I didn't get their names, but I am very grateful for their help. We made it safely to Pahrump just fine. We want to thank the two good samaritans for their help.

MARY T. DAWSON

Come on Pahrump

Since moving back to an RV park here after a two-year absence, I have been more active on the dance scene rather than wasting away in my RV.

I have noticed that the majority of the people at the clubs have no pride in themselves and just dress down to awful. Just because this is Pahrump is no excuse. A person could put on clean jeans or slacks and a nice shirt or blouse. Men could comb their hair and beard. Women could dress in nice jeans use make-up. I am not saying this for seven days a week, but on Friday and Saturday nights.

Even in the Old West, the cowboys would put on dress clothes on Saturday nights for his weekend visit to town. So just because we live in this desert community doesn't mean we can't look good.

Women look good at their jobs during the week, and they could carry this over to Friday and Saturday nights.

On a lighter not, I appreciate the Nugget bringing in good bands and providing a nice, clean place to dance. Some of the other places that I go, the bands don't even dress up or put on a good show. Their talent is excellent, but dirty jeans and T-shirts are really awful. I came from an area where bands had dress costumes and really put on a show.

I don't know what has happened to this world. It seems that "grunge" is in and cleanliness and looking good is out. Come on Pahrump.

RONALD E. EVERETT

Real cowboys don't need guns

In response to Jane Schmidt's letter to the editor of June 22 regarding some residents packing their guns while attending town meetings, I certainly agree with her sentiments concerning that issue but take umbrage with her naive reference to them in the same category with cowboys.

Maybe from watching old western TV movies, our gun-toting citizens may feel they had a past life and have a need to continue living an era long gone. They aren't really impressing anyone but instead are being very foolish.

They need to put their toys away now.

Real cowboys don't carry guns. Real cowboys work hard and long hours on horseback with major cattle and horse ranches through the coldest winters and the hottest summers and often over the roughest terrain to earn a living they love to do.

They may need to carry a rifle at times for protection against wild game dangers but they would never degrade the moral character and dignity of cowboys by walking around in public with a gun strapped on.

ANN BENEFIELD

So sad I cried

I would like to comment on the letter dated June 15, titled "A tear in my eye."

This story was so sad that I cried. People forget or ignore the fact that animals have feelings and feel pain.

I have lived in Pahrump for 20 years and have noticed firsthand the animals around town that are living out in the blistering heat with no shade whatsoever.

It sickens me to see dogs on chains too.

All you can do is hope and pray they have clean water to drink. It breaks my heart to drive by them and wonder what the 100-plus temperatures we experience are doing to their health. It has to be having some adverse effect on them.

I, for one, bring my dog indoors when the temperature goes over 100. I also do not acquire more animals than I can properly care for.

Nye County Ordinance No. 6.20.040 states, "It is unlawful to deprive any animal of necessary sustenance, food, drink or shelter." Is an animal standing in 100-plus heat with no shade not cruelty? It sure is cruelty in my book.

Every pet owner should take a few minutes to put themselves in their pet's situation and determine whether they are living a life of hell on Earth or a decent comfortable life similar to the one you, the owner, is living.

DEBBIE RIVENBURGH