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PUBLIC ACCESS?
Thanks for your article on the Valles Caldera National Preserve [Cover story, Jan. 11:
]. The public needs to understand that the Valles Preserve was set up as a "working ranch" and required by law to break even financially by 2015. Ranching is only one possible use of this area of public land but ranching on public lands always loses money for the public and is an obsolete, trivial and dying industry in the West. The current Valles board of trustees was appointed by President Bush and they apparently share his view of public land management which focuses solely on pioneer-era extractive industries.
The US General Accounting Office recently released a study of Valles Caldera Preserve management that found the preserve's books are in disarray and hundreds of thousands of dollars of appropriations are unaccounted for. This mess apparently has developed since the Clinton-appointed board left. Even so, the Valles Preserve, situated near fast-growing urban areas, has its greatest value to the public as a high-quality recreation, research, education and meeting center. The board should abandon grazing entirely, focus on quality non-motorized recreation and group retreats and watch the ease with which these contemporary uses would balance the budget and meet the legal mandate to involve the public and protect this delicate but abused piece of New Mexico. If the board won't take an open and expansive view of "working ranch," the public which owns the preserve can do it for them.
Tom Ribe
Santa Fe
DON'T COWBOY UP
Unfortunately, business in the Valles Caldera is business as usual for the extraction interests that determine policy in this whole country.
Public lands ranchers are some of the loudest whiners of any users of our western public lands. Their business is never profitable, always destructive and thrives only because of the attachment of the uneducated to the falsehood that the cowboy and cows are good for us. They remain in business only due to the gullibility of the American taxpayer/voter, who, largely ignorant of their folly, continues to allow Congress to appropriate our tax money to support these non-profitable private interests. These ranchers scorn our public welfare system, but greedily lap up every cookie given them, giving nothing back in proportion. Hence the term, "welfare rancher."
Neither the Valles Caldera nor any of our damaged public land can ever be restored to any sort of ecologically sustainable condition until the cows, and the welfare ranchers, are excluded. Not to mention stacking the board of directors with Bush appointees is no way to get anything good accomplished.
Sadly, the general public that finances these clowns knows little of the issue. Thank you for the article.
Warren Watson
Santa Fe
…OR TRY HALLMARK
I would like to respond to [Outtakes, Jan. 11:
]. Other than the obvious flaws with Mr. Gonzalez' e-mail he has overlooked a key aspect of the reasoning behind his anti-Semitism. I would think anyone who is twisted enough to believe the Jews killed Jesus would be grateful. The crucifixion/resurrection myth is central to Christianity and therefore anyone supposedly responsible for those events would have helped to create the entire religion. If Mr. Gonzalez really believes the Jews killed Jesus he has quite a few thank you cards to send out. To save time and money on postage, as I'm sure he is busy looking for another job, perhaps he could just send it in a mass e-mail.
Lesley Henderson
Santa Fe
LOW AT HIGHLANDS
In the year 2006 it is always heartbreaking that there are people as ignorant and uneducated as Richard Gonzalez. who e-mailed his anti-Semitic thoughts to fellow employees at Highlands University. There are many people like Gonzalez who don't have a clue because they never asked questions, they never take time to find out the truth for themselves. Do people forget that Jesus was Jewish? Do people understand that the Jews did not crucify Jesus? Could it have been the Romans? Some people say "happy holidays" because they realize not everybody on earth believes in the same religion. It has nothing to do with politics. Or does it? Where did Gonzalez get this mentality? Perhaps the employees at Highlands University will take this opportunity and shine some light on Gonzalez and his real issues.
Alicia Martinez
Santa Fe
FORESKIN FORESIGHT
I would like to thank you for publishing your article [Getting It On, Jan. 11: "Foreskins Under Attack"]. Not only did I enjoy and agree with it, but I'm hoping that the fact that such an article is being published is proof that America is ready to begin catching up with the rest of the world on this issue.
I am a Jew. And I am against circumcision. I know it's strange, but we are growing in numbers. I have one son who is circumcised. He is now 7. I allowed something to be taken from him, something that was not mine to give. On his eighth day on the planet, I allowed him to be cut and mutilated…against my gut instincts that it was wrong. Though it went "well," it remains one of my few regrets in life. My second son, now 28 months, is intact. On his eighth day of life, after having been born at home in a tub, surrounded by loved ones, he lay beautifully in my arms, nursing contently. I refused to do to him what I had done to my first son. It's HIS penis and while the law allows me to make decisions on its behalf, I don't believe it's my place. When he is older, he can decide, and I hope he'll decide to leave his body as G-d created it!
Circumcision is an unnecessary, cosmetic, painful surgical procedure. Most of the world's men are intact. There is no excuse for us to continue this procedure. As parents, we should be instilling trust in our children; instead we break that almost immediately after they enter the world! They are innocent and they are the owners of their penises. This has to stop. So thank you, thank you, thank you for furthering that purpose.
For more information, check out
as well as the yahoo group with the same name.
Dani Martinez
Santa Fe
NOT GETTING OFF
Today I must finally voice my disgust with your regular column, "Getting it On," by Paul Joannides.
Lest you assume otherwise, I'll be clear that I do not write as an evangelical of some kind, or one unfamiliar with or uninterested in sexual concerns and realities. Yet the writing in this column is simply in bad taste and is insulting to intelligence. In short, it's dopey. It is devoid of imagination, subtlety, unique humor, or anything that would help make for significant or original substance, if that were present. Given that the content, week after week (and yes, again this week), is nothing more than self-indulgent para-porn, some of the above would really help. As it is, the column is simply embarrassing to read.
I have a suggestion: Take a poll (online perhaps?) of how other readers feel. You could even do that with all the columns... some of which I DO actually respect!
Noel W Kaufmann
Santa Fe
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