As a homeowner in the Tierra Contenta ghetto, I am particularly sensitive to the issue of graffiti. Now that summer has returned, the weather is warm enough for taggers to again hold cans of spray paint in ungloved hands and return to their pastime of destroying Santa Fe.

As the last two years have shown, the city is incapable of dealing with this issue. I ask my fellow Tierra Contenta residents to be alert this summer. Here is a starting point — keep an eye on the new Zona del Sol building across from the tagged-on-the-day-it-was-opened Southside Branch Library. As soon as that construction fencing comes down, there will be several square feet of brand-new, untagged walls that will be exposed. When they are, the taggers will descend. Keep your eyes open!

Brian David Lansrud-López
Santa Fe


Sweet summer vacation. No more litter along Paseo de los Pueblos tossed by the parents and students of Piñon Elementary School — until August.

Gary Krino
Santa Fe


I got lost last September on the Rio en Medio Trail. I reached voice mails from the New Mexico Search and Rescue. After various mis-routings to 911, I had to plead to be directly connected to the St. John's College Search and Rescue's on-call person. He did not have his maps with him, and after a half hour, he said he could not locate me because he was unfamiliar with the area. The cell phone GPS did not work.

After many attempts on my part to find my way, I finally made it out to Aspen Ranch Road and asked to be picked up. At that moment, two women (angels) emerged from the other side of the road and took me to my car. This was a harrowing experience. Had I injured myself, I would have been in serious trouble. Is this search-and-rescue response acceptable?

Ellen Fox
Santa Fe


Last fall I closed my business down to take a job as Taos field organizer for the "Campaign for Change," which offered a health insurance plan from Aetna. I signed up for the plan so my wife could get preventative checkups. Turns out, her health was perfect. But not long after Election Day, we started getting bills from the doctors and the hospital.

Letters from Aetna said they wouldn't cover us because my wife didn't have health insurance previously. We're thankful to have our health, but many people aren't so fortunate, and health insurance companies deny their care, too. The CEO of Aetna made $30 million last year. Some of that money could have paid for my wife's checkups.

Justin Bailey
El Prado


Heard any good rumors lately? No? Then you must not be watching Fox News. Take the story: "Obama orders Miranda warnings for Afghanistan prisoners." Problem is that the Bush Justice Department started the practice, which is still in effect, to protect evidence gained in FBI interrogations of high value al-Qaida and Taliban prisoners.

Or take the whopper being spread by Mike Levine of Fox News that the United States has offered Palau $12 million each for agreeing to accept 17 Chinese Muslims currently being held at Guantánamo Bay. Total fabrication. The U.S. actually offered to pay $90,000 each in relocation costs.

The absurdly high figure quoted by Levine came from dividing 17 into $200 million, a figure pulled from a hat as to the likely amount of foreign aid payment the U.S. may make to Palau for all or part of the 35 years remaining on our base rights agreement with that country.

Fox certainly knows a good rumor when it sees one. It just can't seem to tell fantasy from fact.

David R. Anderson
Santa Fe


Your June 19 editorial, "Keeping America safe from — or for — drugs," is timely. The July/August issue of Mother Jones magazine is almost entirely devoted to our various "Drug Wars." The narrative of a poor country (Mexico) fighting a valiant effort to defeat the drug cartels describes a country that "does not exist," according to the author. The other narrative of Mexico tells of the war for drugs. The author relates in graphic detail how the "police and the military fight for their share of the profits."

Our tax money, $1.4 billion in aid called the Merida Initiative, helps to fuel the war and drives honest people to relative safety in the U.S. and elsewhere. We are also financing Plan Colombia to the tune of $6 billion, although drug production has increased there. What should be obvious is that the war approach is not working.

J. Russell Tyldesley
Santa Fe