Letters to Editor

Editor-

I read New Mexico House Bill 518, relating to the LGBTQ+ community and discovered it said virtually the same thing over and over within its two-sentence statement. — Grant County Beat, Mar. 14, 2025.

Although, I'll have to admit I've never heard the word "Expansive" included in the multiple sequence of nouns and symbols common to the phrase.

Maybe, "Expansive" is New Mexico's contribution to the term's official state designation.

It’s a “No” on Senate Bill 5

By Tom Shelley

I have worked closely on wildlife management and conservation issues in New Mexico for more than three decades. The subject matters greatly to anyone who hunts or fishes or lives or works near our wildlife or simply enjoys our wildlife species.

Senate Bill 5 could reach the House of Representatives for a vote early this week. We need to stop it. The bill would send the Game Commission down the same, overreaching path that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has been on over the past century. 

Dear Editor...Good intentions don't always make Good policy.

In fact, sometimes good intentions make very bad policy! The proposed police advisory or review board recently proposed by our Silver City Town Council is one such toxic proposal that is very bad policy.

At last week's work session, I listened to very well-meaning supporters and framers of this proposal. Across the nation though, these advisory boards and so-called support systems of professionals...such as social workers, sociologists, psychologists...worsen relations and widen the axis at the conjunction of cops and community. Faith and Trust are foundational to effective policing and safe neighborhoods. Faith and Trust break down when distortions and misinformation are blasted across Facebook, Instagram and neighborhood chat rooms, as well as from reports in local papers and on local radio. More stress and less understanding result.

Dear Editor,

Currently, the State of New Mexico is poised to spend $100 million on Behavioral Health reforms in the 2025 legislative session. Future Focused Education, a New Mexico nonprofi t committed to education reform, applauds and supports the State's effort. Yet, we are concerned and must call attention to the absence of young people and public school voices in the bill.

According to the National Council of Mental Health Well-Being, "One in fi ve teens lives with a mental health condition. Half of all mental illnesses begin by age 14 and 75 percent begin by the mid-20's. That means more teens than we think in the United States are struggling with a mental health challenge right now and many don't know what to do."

Dear Editor...Well, here they go again!!!...

 Our town councilors, that is, The Silver City Town Council, proposes to impose a Police Review Board.  Haven't our town mothers and fathers done enough damage already (a) with crime and burglaries way up from previous years and (b) with every byway and highway and every major intersection polluted with Cannabis Parkours.  U know, local restaurateurs find it almost impossible to offer their sit-down customers a Margarita or two with their delicious tacos and gorditos, but a license to sell dope to our local teens on Silver Heights Boulevard...no problem.

And now, they seek to enflame relations between locals and cops.  Who's dumb; Who's dumber...Stan Snider who proposes to introduce it; or Nick Prince, the brains behind the concept?  It's not just that these police review boards around the country don't work to improve police-community relationships...they, in fact, worsen and further embitter police-community relationships.

Editor-

No one has ever accused President Biden of being near the top of his class. His near bottom ranking at Syracuse University School of Law, in addition to 50 years in Congress and the White House as a mediocre federal employee, is evidence of his sometimes-bewildering thought processes when deciding upon issues relevant to the success of the country.

A certain amount of this is expected. For better or worse, five decades in Washington can do a lot to a person — physically and mentally. A once healthy body may be worn down by the rigors of Congressional hearings, staff meetings, lobbyist discussions, state dinners and jet lag.

Editor-

"Have We Left The Country In Better Shape?"

"The one thing I've always believed about public service, especially the presidency, is the importance of asking yourself, 'Have we left the country in better shape than we found it?' Today, I can say with every fiber in my being, with all my heart, the answer to that question is a resounding yes." — President Joe Biden speaking at the Democrat National Committee's Holiday Reception, Washington, D.C., AP News, Dec. 15, 2024
**************************

While I'm pretty sure the country isn't in better shape than when Joe became President, I am absolutely certain Joe is full of more acclaimed achievements and exaggerated opinions of himself than ever before.

If that's possible.

Editor-

In response to Mr. Michael D. Barragree's letter questioning the appropriateness of Wreaths Across America not placing wreaths on Jewish graves, below is the WAA explanation for not doing so:

Do you place wreaths on Jewish headstones?

"Wreaths Across America (WAA) is not affiliated with any religion or political view. The organization's yearlong mission is to Remember all the fallen, Honor those that serve, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom. Because WAA is a guest at the more than 4,200 participating locations we visit each year, we abide by each location's rules regarding the placement of wreaths on veterans' headstones.