Letters to the editor May 11

Much ado about names

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5/11/2008 - 5/11/08

The official language of the United States of America is English. To use any foreign language in naming a new public civic center is an insult to the thousands of young American men and women who risk — and forfeit — their lives every day defending this great country.

Since many Americans still don't know that New Mexico is part of the United States, let's use the official language of the United States in naming public buildings!
Anne McGovern
Santa Fe

A real loser
Considering the fact that the consultants' report on the proposed convention center said that the facility would lose a half million dollars a year, it should be called The Santa Fe Money Pit.

The new convention center is a monument to the greed of downtown merchants and the grandiose (if unrealistic) plans of city officials.
Lois Snyderman
Convention Center planning committee

Soft sell
How about "Buffalo Thunder Lite?"
J.J. Josephs
Santa Fe

Proximate preparation
The May 9 article, "Commencement readers prep for tongue-twister names," by The Associated Press, is interesting enough, if it were not for a much closer example that could have been covered by a Santa Fe New Mexican writer and photographer.

The United World College/USA, located just an hour away in Montezuma is about to conduct its 22nd commencement on May 24. From a student body of 200 from over 90 countries, 100 will graduate and matriculate to fine universities such as those mentioned in the AP article — Macalester, Wellesley, Pomona and others. Many of our graduates likewise have names that might be difficult to pronounce without some familiarization.

The announcement of each graduate's name has always been done perfectly and respectfully. This same multi-cultural event is taking place at each of our 11 sister campuses worldwide.

I invite the New Mexican to cover the forthcoming graduation at our spectacular campus in Montezuma, and urge this newspaper to choose local subject matter over wire service articles when such stories are so close to home.
James B. Taylor
chairman, Board of Trustees, United World College/USA
Santa Fe

Insults, innuendo
Regarding "Friends reveal a lot about us" (May 4) by Neo Fernández: During this campaign, Barack Obama's patriotism and religious denomination have been questioned; his ability to speak articulately declared a revelation; and he has been accused of being elitist.

Now the oratorical style of the author of The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream and Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance is compared to that of the author of Mein Kampf!

Several U.S. presidents had incredible oratorical manners. Why isn't Obama's oratorical style compared to theirs, as opposed to a Nazi's?

But the most egregious of Fernandez's insults was his broad-brush statement that the black ministers and the black community could rise up against the white community to protest the loss of Obama's bid for the presidency! News flash! Hillary Clinton still might get the nomination; not all black people are voting for Obama; not all black people are Democrats; not all black people take to the streets when things don't go their way.
Charlene Carroll
Abiquiú

Just read
It's a shame that Barack Obama has to distance himself from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. The punditocracy has, predictably, taken Wright's comments out of context, and could never understand a man of such intelligence and perception, anyway.

Obama cannot afford to agree that America practices imperialism, because such a tiny fraction of American voters are aware of what imperialism is, and how America is an empire, just as Rome and Great Britain were in their time. This has been researched and explained in countless books and scholarly papers by legions of historians, but most adults in America hardly read a book a year.

The public school system is but a propaganda organ when it comes to our own history. To not understand how America has been "colonizing" the world for more than 100 years is to be ignorant or a jingoist.

Presidential politics, however, requires candidates to practice both.
J. Russell Tyldesley
Santa Fe

P-dogs dodge city
Santa Fe's Parks Department started work, through a contractor, at Frenchy's Field Park in early April; this project began with mowing the field.

The resident colony of prairie dogs came out of hibernation that week. Guess what? Nothing to eat! Friends of Native Ecosystems and neighbors of Frenchy's have a feeding program with veggies from Whole Foods and alfalfa. The construction team agreed to flag the burrows for the assorted vehicles.

Last weekend seven of the flags were run over and this week another dozen. The team estimates that 50 percent of the burrows are gone. Now the main colony area is a cross hatch of roads and trails.

Some of the prairie dogs have moved south and others are now on the verge next to Agua Fría St.; the pups should emerge soon. Larragoite Park is a worse disaster. Can prairie dogs survive the Parks Department?
Barbara Belding
Santa Fe

Voice of many
Brad Holian's May 5 rant, "Unequal voice," letter chastises reporter Staci Matlock for giving too much space in her piece on climate change to a contrarian view.

He cites me as "one voice" against the throng of believers in the mission of Saint Al Gore. Horrors! Feed Ms. Matlock, along with me and any other skeptic, to the lions.

But, are there enough lions to go around to feed on the great many highly credentialed skeptical climatologists?

His ignorance results from the clamor of climate alarmists, a cult highly publicized by the popular media, which omit almost all contrary views.

So I applaud Ms. Matlock for presenting both sides of the story. Why does Mr. Holian protest? Why quash debate?

I suggest two books, where the nonscientist may find the rational basis for not believing in human caused climate change: Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism.
William E. Keller
Santa Fe