Letters for November 20, 2003

After Bob Grimm spent the first half of his review whining about animation methods, I thought his review of Brother Bear couldn’t get any sillier. But when I read his complaint about how the bears “mercilessly chomp their killing jaws into a number of fleeing, terrified salmon,” I laughed so loud the other restaurant patrons wondered what was wrong with me. Perhaps the Walt Disney productions Grimm should be watching are the True Life Adventures. It’s time for a remedial biology lesson.

No. 1. Animals must eat, or they will die. No. 2. Starvation is a cruel, painful, lingering death. No. 3. Many animals eat some kind of meat. No. 4. Meat comes from other animals. Without the salmon, bears wouldn’t survive the winter. Would the film have been more politically correct if it showed bears dying from starvation?

As for his complaint that watching fish die will traumatize Finding Nemo fans, maybe he should recall that most fish eat other fish, including, occasionally, their own young. Or maybe he can watch The Lion King again and listen to Mufasa’s explanation to Simba of how the circle of life includes eating the antelope.

Sharon Zenz
Sparks

Sounds like GOP
Re “Growing Green Democrats” [RN&R, News, Nov. 6]:

I applaud the efforts of the Green Democrats; pulling the Democrat Party even more to the left will only make more moderates (like me) leave the party, creating more votes for the Republicans. As for their insistence that George Bush stole the election in 2000, did no one in Florida vote for Ralph Nader? They cite the fact that 15,008 people in Nevada voted for Nader, yet omit that fact when talking about Florida. Also, if Al Gore had won his home state, Tennessee, he would have had enough electoral votes to win the election.

Pierre Martin
Reno

Abortion is safe
Re “Women need information” [RN&R, Letters, Nov. 13]:

Maya Zaygon’s letter regarding “Abortion by pills” is nothing more than an anti-choice rant laced with incorrect medical statements.

First of all, study after study shows that there are no long-term risks associated with having an abortion. The idea that abortion causes breast cancer was one of the first outlandish claims used by anti-choice groups in the fight against Roe vs. Wade. A woman’s chance of developing breast cancer is reduced somewhat by the absence of menstruation, be it because of late menarche, early menopause or pregnancy. But if she doesn’t carry the pregnancy to term, her chances of developing breast cancer are not slightly reduced. Can it be said, then, that abortion causes breast cancer? No.

Secondly, stating that RU 486 is dangerous due in part to “fast track clinical trials (for FDA approval)” is ridiculous considering that the drug has been widely used in Europe since 1980. In study after study, RU 486 has proven to be a safe and effective. For years, here in the United States, doctors have been prescribing two drugs which in combination produce the same result as RU 486: Methotrexate and Misoprostol. The use of these drugs or RU 486 rarely leads to incomplete abortion and if it does, a simple dilation and curettage safely removes the remaining contents of the uterus.

More than 1 million women worldwide have used non-surgical procedures as a safe and effective way of terminating pregnancy. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 200 women die every day from botched or self-inflicted abortions due to the lack of access to a safe and legal abortion.

Women deserve access to safe abortion procedures, and those who think otherwise deserve the choice to not have abortions.

Claire DiBenedetto
via e-mail

Thieves acted with intent
Thieves stole priceless Washoe Tribe artifacts from Peavine Peak during August 2003. These artifacts were in an ancient hunting blind and likely were carved to celebrate a successful hunt. The petroglyphs were spectacular and popular with visitors.

Last March, I showed those petroglyphs to the thieves who stole them during a lunch break. At that time, one of the thieves was working for me. I am fascinated by Native American heritage, and the thief who stole the petroglyphs appeared to appreciate the art as well.

The thieves are trying to avoid responsibility for their actions. Their clever attorneys may be able to convince some that their clients had no criminal intent, but not me. I know, I was there. I know for fact that these thieves knew well the quality of their actions. Don’t let their attorneys fool you. Today, write the U.S. Attorney’s office and demand that these unrepentant thieves be prosecuted aggressively.

John Pickett
Reno