Letters to the Editor for Aug. 5, 2021

Thanks to firefighters 

Editor:

As the Douglas County Commissioner for south county (District 3), I first want to ask for prayers for the 12 families in my district who lost just about everything in life. Let’s also give thanks that no human life was lost during this tragedy.

We are all thankful for the tremendous volunteers as we hosted those displaced from Alpine County at our evacuation center. The volunteers who worked tireless hours at our evacuation center In Topaz Ranch Estates were forced to relocate to Smith Valley High School, graciously made available by our Lyon County friends.

Being involved on a daily basis during this emergency, I can assure our community that our staff, the East Fork Fire Department, our Sheriff’s office, Community Services Department, our mounted posse, CERT and many others, stepped up to the plate to mitigate the displacements as much as humanly possible. The amount of firefighting resources from departments throughout the western US was extremely impressive and we thank them profusely that the fire did not take a greater toll. 

Now we have a new crisis on our hands here in Douglas County. 

Our local businesses have struggled over the last 16 plus months to survive economically and many have failed due to the COVID virus. As they have attempted to get back up to speed with staffing to accommodate an eager citizenry wishing to patronize them once again, our governor has seen fit to impose a new mask mandate. I personally believe this is an unconstitutional overreach of his authority upon our businesses. This is regardless of whether you have been vaccinated or not, Sisolak is doing this under threat of OSHA fines for non-compliance. He has done this while our county population is experiencing an extremely low number of active cases. Many of our businesses have reached out to me to tell me they are having employees refuse to return to work should they be required to wear a mask. 

I cannot speak for my fellow commissioners, but it has always been my strong belief that government, at all levels, needs to stay out of telling businesses how to operate. I do not know how much longer we, our businesses, and our citizenry, can tolerate an infringement upon our God given 1st Amendment rights. Please be patient with our business community and their employees as they attempt to work through this latest step backwards by our governor. I personally will not be complying unless absolutely required by that business, out of respect for them, as they try to survive yet another challenge to their livelihood. 

Mark Gardner

Topaz Ranch Estates

Douglas County Commissioner, District 3

Thanks to Smokey and Frisby

Editor:

In a world where we presently read and watch national and international news that seems so negative, it is really refreshing to hear that our Minden Town Manager J.B. Frisby and Washoe Tribe Chairman Serrell Smokey came to a mutual agreement regarding the evening sounding time of the Minden siren.  It appears from The Record-Courier Thursday July 1, 2021 article, that it was a simple discussion with respect for each others views, that brought about such a mutual agreement.  

With our own United States of America government seemingly unable to come to agreement on most issues; groups and individuals who have little respect for one another; hatred abounding in so many areas of our country, what a wonderful time for our two communities to show respect and progress for everyone.  

What a proud moment for all.  We do live in an unusually friendly and respectful  community.  I’m so happy, we, as relatively small communities can show we still have the kind of relationship that fosters kindness toward one another.  I’m proud to be a part of the community that can show the rest of the world how a simple action of mutual respect can impact us. 

Thanks fellas for your coming together to solve this lingering situation for the benefit of all.

Beverly Giannopulos

Minden

Sisolak saves us all 

Editor: 

Upon hearing about the new mask mandate, I was overjoyed. Do you know how hard it is to wake up 20 minutes earlier to put makeup on my lower face? My life is hard enough without having the added pressure of having to make sure my uncovered face is pleasant to look at. 

With the stress of going back to my office, all of my favorite restaurants now allowing in person dining, and no longer being able to conduct business over zoom; I don’t know how to function with so much time spent out of the house and away from my dog. I have lost count of how many times I have seen someone and not been able to recognize them because of their unsightly lower face. Ever since that abominable vaccine came out I have been stretched beyond belief. I only wish my life could go back to how it was during the beginnings of the pandemic. I could go days without leaving the house, I only needed to dress up for zoom calls, and I never needed to see my mother in law because we thought it might kill her. I can only hope that with this new mandate things will go back to the way they should be. God willing this Simons character doesn’t win in the race for governor, he would be detrimental to the lifestyle we have all become accustomed to. 

Jenny Strickland

Minden

Letter writer incorrect about Sanger

Editor:

I’d like to correct some misinformation Dan Patterson wrote in his LTE July 29 entitled Whose Lives Matter? Margaret Sanger Slee was born in 1876. Her mother had 18 pregnancies in her lifetime of 49 years. Eleven of those pregnancies resulted in live births. It was an era in which women were considered to be the property of their husband. They were denied control of their lives and denied control over their bodies.  It is believed that the hardship of all those pregnancies on her mother was the impetus for Margaret’s life’s work.

Margaret was an activist, a nurse, a writer and a firm proponent of birth control. She did not equate birth control with abortion and refused to participate in them. She opened the first birth control clinic and worked closely with the African American community to prevent “back alley” abortions. Her dissemination of information about contraceptives, which she considered free speech, was prosecuted under a federal anti-obscenity law. She was a pioneer in freeing women from unending cycles of pregnancies and reclaiming authorship of their own body.

Because her initial organization evolved into Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger has been the target of criticism and disinformation by anti-abortionists.  Her interest in eugenics stemmed from her belief people should have the children they want.  It’s easy to distort and twist motivations when one removes the context in which they occurred.

Did she want to improve the population by controlling reproduction? Yes. The eugenics of her era is not the eugenics of the Nazi Regime. What she saw was a correlation between poverty, large families, reduced opportunities and crime. She saw a way to change that by birth control whereby people could welcome a new birth. 

It’s a shame one can’t just hold different opinions around a subject instead of painting one’s opposition in the worst possible light. They are cheap hits of power in order to feel good about one’s position. 

The sources and hidden agenda in the sources that Patterson used in his opinion piece are questionable.  

If his agenda is to defund Planned Parenthood, that should be enough. 

Instead, he chose to label an activist and radical of her era with the conservative fear words of the 21st century: liberal, progressive, socialist. Really. Couldn’t you come up with something better than that tired old propaganda line?

By the way, it’s the Declaration of Independence that includes the phrase “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  Our Constitution makes no such claims.  

Joan Costa

Gardnerville