Letters to the editor for Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014

Service available, no excuse to drink and drive on New Year’s Eve

Once again New Year’s Eve is upon us and as in the past, many individuals will choose to drink and drive and not utilize a designated driver or taxi cab. With the amount of traffic that is expected to be out on the roadways, why take the risk of getting involved in a vehicle crash or being arrested for driving under the influence?

AAA is once again offering its Tipsy Tow this year. This program is designed to get you and your vehicle home safely. D&S Towing is the AAA representative in Carson City and can be reached at 775-883-7779.

The offer begins at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and continues until 6 a.m. New Year’s Day. There is no charge, and you do not have to be a AAA member to use this service. However, there is a 10 mile service limit, and you must be the registered owner of the vehicle.

Capital Cab is expecting a busy night and will have cabs available to get you and your friends from one celebration to the next. Its number is 775-885-0300.

Let’s not forget about having a designated driver. Plan ahead so that you, your family and friends can enjoy this night safely.

On behalf of Sheriff Furlong, the employees and auxiliary units of the Carson City Sheriff’s Office would like to wish you all a Happy New Year!

Sgt. Scott McDaniel

Carson City Sheriff’s Office

Not logical for journalists to risk their lives

The First Amendment allows freedom to the press without the threat of persecution or death. Isn’t that only in our country? Journalism students should take a crash course in customs because in other countries, they’re much different than ours. Unlike some of them, we don’t allow gang rape as punishment for women or practice open-air retaliation beheadings.

It’s a sad state of affairs how some news magazines send their journalists into extremely dangerous countries where they could possibly be kidnapped and murdered just for being there, and from what we’ve all seen lately, murdered journalists are the top story.

Extremists are not kidnapping them for ransom, but to murder them in cold blood to send a message. Whether it’s blowing up a bus, killing a bunch of school children or beheading someone on video, these crazed people do whatever it takes to prove a point — and killing foreign journalists are on their hit list.

In my opinion, no story is that good to write if it means the reporter could be kidnapped or possibly murdered because of it. I think reporters who go into these unstable countries should have their heads examined. It’s not an act of bravery by going into them, but foolish and taunting fate when they do. Apparently they give little thought to how their families might react if the unthinkable happened to them and instead put themselves at risk so a news magazine can have its story. I’m sorry, but I don’t see the logic in that.

Donald Paetz

Carson City