Letters to the Editor

More thanks for great Rio Valley Festival

Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to all the participants and those who provided the entertainment at the Rio Valley Festival.

A sincere thank you to Richard and Cindy Long and Belen Goju Ryu Karate. Thank you to Sherilyn of Alma Music Center and the New Mexico Children’s Choir. Thank you to Stacy Johnston and the Applause School of Dance, (and good luck on the trip down under). Thank you to Lori Kapalko and the “Tumble-weeds” and the “Tumble-bugs” of Boardwalk Gymnastics, and Thank you to Lori Baca of Calvary Chapel of the Rio Grande Valley and the puppet show.

Thank you to all the participants of the pie-eating contest, watermelon-eating contest, and the watermelon-seed spit’n contest. Thank you everyone.

Tim Lardner

Belen

MADD thanks all for help

Editor:

MADD Valencia County hosted a Candlelight Vigil of Remembrance and Hope and a DWI Awareness March in Belen on June 15. This event was to honor our loved ones who have either died or have suffered injuries as the result of drunk driving crashes in our state. MADD does not solicit victims; unfortunately, they find us.

We would like to thank everyone, who helped to make this event special: Belen Police Chief Paul Scotchdopole, guest speaker and march leader; Officers Turrieta and Rodriguez, escorts for the march; Sunshine Flowers, for their generous donation of flower arrangements and carnations for the marchers; Donut King, for the tasty goodies; and special thanks to the News-Bulletin for helping to keep our community aware of the consequences of drunk driving!

To find out how you can volunteer to make a difference, contact Cindy Roberts, MADD Valencia County, 861-0400, or visit http://madd.org — MADD’s website.

Cindy Roberts

MADD

RSVP gives a big thanks

Editor:

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) honored the request from several citizens for weekend activities. On Saturday, June 29, RSVP coordinated a senior dance where many seniors enjoyed a fun and happy evening.

This dance brought them out, while otherwise they would have been home alone and with nothing to do. Everyone had a wonderful time. Because of the great turnout, RSVP plans to schedule senior dances on the third Saturday of each month.

RSVP thanks all who attended and made this possible. We especially thank City Manager Sally Garley, Mildred Garley, Veronica Campbell, Prescilla Jaques, Terry Morrissey, Gloria Mocera, Joe Mocera, Flora Trujillo, Candy Kroenig, Maria Marquez, Manfor Morales, Trinnie Baca and, of course, the Los Alegres Band. Thank you all for your support and cooperation and for making June 29th a great evening.

Theresa Chene

RSVP Director

Good work on county animal control ordinance

Editor:

The animal control ordinance as drafted is a good one.

I have five dogs and seven cats. I am also an attorney who has read the ordinance carefully. The ordinance is excellently drafted and is good for you, me, the animals and the people of Valencia County.

There are those who would like to weaken the ordinance so that it would be ineffective. Each commissioner knows, I am sure, that reasons for the minority objecting to some of the provisions.

However, the silent majority, everyone who understands the ordinance, applauds the work of the commissioners and tells me that they did not know how good our commissioners are. They are thankful to each commissioner for supporting the ordinance, perhaps with minor, very minor changes.

The minority raises a red herring by only half-truths: privacy would be invaded. This is a false statement.

An owner who harbors and treats an animal badly would first have to be notified, and the control officer must ask for permission to inspect any cruelty to the animal. If the owner or person in control refuses, then the officer would have to go to court to obtain permission to inspect, after the owner (guardian) was notified of the court hearing. Only if the court authorized (with a warrant) could the officer go on a person’s property.

Suppose a rabid dog is attacking a child. To save the life of this child in an emergency, an animal control officer in this emergency situation could enter a person’s property to save a life. Other emergencies arise, such as a person setting fire to a cat or dog or beating a helpless animal with a shovel, or otherwise torturing an animal, permitting the officer to stop this behavior.

The fees are minor in the ordinance, except too low in the $5 license fee. The fee should be increased to at least $10, only 3 cents per day for a dog or cat. Late fees are proper.

A citizen can control this cost by merely following the law. If a person will not pay such a minor amount for one of God’s creatures that he has given us for their love and our care of them, then I would like to hear, when at the gates of heaven, the person is asked, “Did you object to pay 3 cents a day for one of my creatures that I gave you to protect and love as they loved you?”

Under this ordinance, I would feel better at riding my horse in Valencia County without harassment from stray dogs, even walking to Allsups reasonably free of a rabid dog attack, raising chickens or cattle without the fear of hungry dogs, which is not their fault, unlicensed or maybe rabid dogs attacking.

Who would be the objectors to certain provisions and want to weaken the ordinance so that it can not be effectively enforced.

Quite likely, it would be pet shop owners who sell sick animals to the parent who desires to buy a pet for their child and finds that the animal is sick and dies or expensive vet bills. The pet shop owner probably would say “Too bad. Your loss.”

Another person who would like to weaken the ordinance might be one who raises dogs, or other animals, to fight and tear one another apart while the spectator’s bet. All for money and illegal. Criminal elements come into Valencia County and the silent majority does not want it.

Space does not permit answers to other ill-voiced objections. The commission has done an excellent job in this needed ordinance and should be applauded for its work for the people of Valencia County and the loving pets and other animals God has given us.

The commission is asked to approve this ordinance without weakening it.

Douglass K. Fischer

Los Lunas

Take pride in your country

Editor:

I am writing this letter to the people who think it is wrong to say the pledge of allegiance. You have no respect for our country, our flag, our veterans or our men and women in uniform.

A lot of people had to fight and die, and other’s lives were torn apart, so we could be free from people like Hitler.

So, the next time you think about not saying the Pledge of Allegiance or not standing for the National Anthem, why don’t you visit a VA Hospital or a National Cemetery?

My family has veterans from WWI, WWII and Vietnam. I am proud of all of them.

Paul Waters

U.S. Army veteran

Rio Communities.

School drug tests needed

Editor:

I would like to give my thoughts toward the Street Talk question “Should drug testing be allowed in public schools?” which was in the June 29 edition of the News-Bulletin.

For illustration purpose only, if an individual was driving a U-Haul truck that was loaded with explosives, with the intention of blowing up the Veterans Administration Hospital in Albuquerque, would we dare say that a search of that truck by a state highway patrolman would be an infringement on personal rights and freedoms?

Absolutely not, I would hope. Instead, the patrolman would be praised for apprehending a felon attempting to murder hundreds of innocent lives.

I feel the same way about the importance of drug testing in schools. For, in that matter, drugs are a form of a bomb even though the direct effects of drugs are not as instant as a bomb, but I would contend that both can be equal in damage or cause toward damage.

Drugs have no business in our schools, public or private. School is a place to improve and excel a student’s skills, but drugs will eventually corrode and tear down the very brain that takes in the information that one receives at school. Yes, I strongly believe that there should be drug testing in our schools in our war against drugs.

When one applies for employment, very likely they will be drug tested. The same applies to athletes of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association and the Olympics.

When one joins the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard, they can expect to take a drug test.

We have previously seen that employers, athletic sports leagues and our military strive for excellence. We should expect no less in our school system, as we are training the leaders of tomorrow.

Keep drugs out of schools; institute drug testing.

Jim Wilburn

Belen