Letters to the editor, April 29

Obama is threatening our religious freedom

President Obama's recent mandate forcing religious institutions to provide contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing pharmaceuticals is a moral tragedy for our country.

Never before has such a threat to our religious freedom presented itself. The Health and Human Services mandate forces religious employers to provide coverage even though it violates our beliefs. It seems feminist leaders for the good of women demand that employers ignore their personal morals and provide free contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs in health plans. Go on, call it what it is - abortion.

The HHS mandate requires religious institutions; schools, hospitals and social services to pay for coverage of employees; including contraceptives, sterilization and morning-after pills.

We must protest such a profound, unprecedented and grave injustice. Freedom of religion and conscience is a right given to us by God and guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Are not all citizens duty-bound to follow our conscience, not the dictates of the government? Call your representatives and follow up with your vote. Rescind this mandate.

The government must not be allowed to take away our freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. It will be America's Holocaust Moment if we allow this to happen.

Shirley Bierman

Carson City

Dick Clark's presence will be felt for generations

Death is tough on families, so when a member of our family passes on, we all are saddened. Dick Clark was a member of all of our families.

I remember when, as a young teen, my brother and I would run home to go to our neighbor's home in Olympia, Wash., to watch American Bandstand with 10 or 12 friends.

He introduced all of us to rock-n-roll, which was condemned by most parents as evil. He was a father figure to all of us by showing us that racial prejudice was wrong.

Boy, did I enjoy those years. Thanks, Dick Clark, for a wonderful childhood. Your presence will always be felt for generations, or in my case, hopefully, years.

Lee Smith

Carson City

Let residents vote on City Center Project

The fate of the proposed Carson City Center Project continues to be an open issue, rife with controversy.

We have heard much pro rhetoric from the business power brokers and their local political counterparts. The latter have also demonstrated some degree of authoritative arrogance in voicing their support for the project. More recently, there have been several dissertations in the print media authored by quasi-intellectuals asserting a me-too endorsement.

Fortunately the anti-project element is now coming forward.

There is no question that this project will provide many continuing benefits for the Carson City Nugget business interests. However, tangible benefits that address specific needs for the downtown area of our fair city are conspicuously absent.

In can be argued that the Carson Nugget owners have made the city a seemingly generous offer. One must, of course, overlook the long-term financial commitment required from the city for acceptance and project implementation.

Also, one must question the desirability and timing of a commitment of this magnitude during an economic downturn.

An initiative petition is currently in circulation to restrict the use of public funding for the Carson City Center Project without a majority vote of the people approving such public funding.

Let the people be heard via the ballot box. This is the American way.

Don Barry

Carson City

All of our problems can be tied to Obama/Reid

An ancient proverb says, "A fish rots from the head down," meaning that when an organization or state fails, it is the leadership that is the root cause. It's a perfect description of the Obama administration and Obama's liberal minions, including his chief minion, our own Harry Reid.

Locally, of course, we have Eugene Paslov, Janice Ayres and some so-called prominent Republicans who supported Obama's election and still stand firmly behind his socialist policies.

I am reminded of the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin leading children to their death. The accounts of mismanagement, coverups and corruption continue to stream out of Washington on almost a daily basis. I don't need to go into detail since the stories make the news with regularity, and by this I mean the Internet and the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal.

The waste of taxpayer dollars is breathtaking, and shows no signs of abating. Five trillion dollars of new Obama debt in only three years, and much to the pride of Nevada liberals, Harry Reid has not even produced an operating budget in over three years.

There are record levels of unemployment, food stamps, foreclosures, high gas prices, government assistance programs - the list goes on and on under the leadership of Obama/Reid, and not unlike like Emperor Nero, Emperor Obama fiddles while Rome burns.

Remember, a minion is described as a follower devoted to serve his/her master relentlessly, but a fish rots from the head down.

Bill Johnston

Carson City