This category will hold letters to the editor, as requested by at least one Beat reader. This editor agrees that letters to the editor should be separate from editorials. Letters to the editor may not reflect the opinions of the editor.

Letter to Editor, with letter to GNF supervisor attached Re: feral cattle issue

I am a very frustrated retired Forest Service employee who wants to set the record straight and comment on the Gila NF's latest effort to resolve the long-standing problem with the feral cattle, or as they were calling them "Invasive Species", that are located in the Gila Wilderness. I was very involved in the actions that closed the grazing allotment where these cattle are located and with the original efforts to remove these animals. I am very concerned with the way the Forest Service has misled as well as outright lied to the public and has misused their well-established and time-tested policies and codified regulations to take actions to remove these animals. I have written a letter to the Gila NF Supervisor expressing my concerns.

[Letter attached below:]

Ralph D Pope
Silver City, NM 88062

Read more ...

Letter to Editor on gun control

Gun control, New Mexico style

Here's an interesting paragraph from the Republican Party of New Mexico's weekly legislative update, February 17, 2023:

House Bill 59, which would have made it a third-degree felony for possessing a firearm while trafficking a controlled substance, was killed by House progressives.

Republicans believe that 2nd Amendment rights belong to law-abiding citizens, not criminals.

Well, the New Mexico Left defended their vote by stating that drug dealing is dangerous and defended criminals' rights to possess a firearm. We aren't making this up.

Peter Burrows

Silver City, NM

A touch of sanity in Santa Fe 

Last Monday, two Democrats joined four Republicans to table a bill that would have increased the minimum wage in New Mexico. The House Commerce and Economic Development Committee voted 6-4 to table House Bill 28 which would have raised the minimum wage based on the consumer price index. 

This is something I never would have predicted. Furthermore, one of the Democrats, Rep. Linda Serrato, D-Santa Fe, stated that: "Minimum wages shouldn't be determined by a legislative body."  

She's a Democrat I could vote for!

Read more ...

Letter to Editor from new Hachita postmaster

Dear Editor,

It is a great honor to serve Hachita as your new Postmaster. In my years with the United States Postal Service, I have seen firsthand the role the Postal Service plays connecting neighbors and our community to the nation. Our Post Offices also serve as a lifeline for our small businesses to reach customers no matter where they are.

About two years ago, the United States Postal Service published an ambitious but achievable 10-year strategic plan, Delivering for America. The plan established a path to building a Postal Service that is financially strong and consistently delivers on-time for the American public.

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Letter to Editor

[Editor's Note: Even though true, it is disturbing and graphic.]

Facebook has removed this posting from my page because it violates their subjective standards of hate speech, or whatever the offense du jour is. In doing so, they are protecting a hateful practice of Islam, one we should all be aware of. This is an admittedly ugly truth about Islam, one of many. Where is PETA?

https://barenakedislam.com/2023/01/11/france-islamic-dog-jihad-continues-as-muslim-is-sentenced-to-prison-for-theft-abuse-and-rape-of-8-month-old-female-dog/

Peter Burrows

Silver city

Link added: Letter to Editor Re: Feral cattle removal

From a supporter of the Cattle Growers Association:
I'd like to alert the CGA that they really need to get on the letter writing effort, so opposition to this plan is known.  
The NMCGA today posted a commentary on the situation:
The member wanted to pass on the info that GRIP (Gila Resource Information Project) and the Gila Conservation Coalition are doing a letter writing campaign re the fed’s plan to massacre feral cattle in the wilderness from a helicopter.
The Gila National Forest is accepting public comment on its proposal to remove feral cattle that are degrading fish and wildlife habitat in the Gila Wilderness, the letter from GCC and GRIP reads:.  

Submit your comments by January 9, 2023 in support of the Gila National Forest's plan to remove feral cattle from the Gila Wilderness.

Read more ...

Letter to Editor on potential election problems in Luna County. NM

Attached is my opening statement to the Luna County Commissioners on November 14, 2022, and the packet of information that I provided during the county election meeting, prior to election certification.

The data in the report comes directly from the NMSOS voter records. I received these reports 3x daily, started at 6 a.m. on 10/11/2022 (the first day of early voting) thru 11/12/2022 (the end of the county reconciliation period).

The reconciliation period is similar to balancing a checkbook. However, instead of balancing currency, they are balancing the number of ballots issued.

PROBLEM DISCOVERED

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Letter to Editor from GNF supervisor about asphalt spill

Dear Editor:
On Thursday, November 3, as the Gila National Forest Supervisor, I participated in a public meeting regarding cleanup of the asphalt emulsion spill in Jaybird Canyon, along with representatives from the New Mexico Environment Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Struck by the close personal connection to the land expressed by so many members of the community, I felt impressed and grateful for the participants' passion and care for the forest, its waters, living systems, and the Earth itself. I commend the volunteers who reported the spill and stepped up to initiate the cleanup – without your vigilance, the spill impacts would have been even worse, and the responsible party might never have been known. You are an asset to the Gila National Forest.

Read more ...

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