Letters

Jerry's kids get cold shoulder from Channel 8

Well, once again KLAS Channel 8 decided to hold Jerry's kids hostage by showing the Monday portion of the telethon to its cable viewers only. They decide every year that the poor and elderly people of Las Vegas should watch tennis instead of showing the telethon to every person they possibly could. Seeing how the telethon happens only once a year, they seem to feel it's not that important to show everyone. Channel 8 answers, "We have `contractual agreements.'" Paula Frances wrote that she is also sorry it's not on basic TV.

It's unfortunate that Channel 8 gives only 90 percent to the kids and chooses not to turn it over to a station that is 100 percent committed to Jerry's kids. Oh well, that's Channel 8 caring for the community...the cable community, that is. I guess in their world if you can't afford cable, you can't give much, therefore you can't watch.

--John Maurizio

Mental health care separate and unequal

Re: Editor's Note, "The Realities of Unmanaged Growth," Sept. 2:

Actually, the problem is mismanaged growth, the growth of two separate and unequal health care systems, as we once widely supported two separate and unequal education systems.

America's approach to mental health has far more in common with its penal systems than health care. The Hippocratic Oath clearly does not apply. People are shamed by the professions into believing they must hide, rather than educated that this is simply a health problem. Worse, teaching the shame is an integral part of college curricula and both federal and state departments of mental health.

Imagine for a second that we treated pregnancy as we treat mental illnesses: hide, feel shame, let no one know when you are delivering a baby. Imagine that we set up separate but equal facilities in some remote area and bused women in and out. Well, at least in. We would all begin to look at pregnancy as we look at mental health. And it would not take long.

And eventually, because delivery was hidden, funding would fall, services would deteriorate and only pregnant women needing the services, and trained to hide and feel shame, would know, and they would either not speak, or not be listened to. After all, no one can really see what they would be describing, so how would one believe?

Integrate the health systems, reform might follow. No guarantees; prejudices die very slowly.

--Harold A. Maio,

Consulting editor,

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal,

Ft. Myers, Fla.

Wake up and climb off the apathy train

A couple of days ago, a friend and I passed by a billboard for Dennis Miller at the Stardust. My friend made a comment that because of Miller's right-wing bravado, he has now been downgraded to the Stardust. Now, a couple of years back, Miller had the same habit of feeding his audience words most of us need a dictionary to understand, but he generally kept his political beliefs to himself. That Dennis Miller would have headlined the Mirage or Caesars. So Miller makes his political stance known and his career suffers a slight downgrade. This makes perfect sense to me.

Why don't the American people want politically peppered comedy? We already have too much on our plates. I mean The Donald just announced his new slew of wannabees. Miller shouldn't be punished. He should be applauded. He chooses to voice his opinion in the very fickle world of entertainment. Understand that I see Miller as I see most right-wingers: drivers just cruising down the conservative highway with acute tunnel vision. However, at least he has the balls to have an opinion. Which gets me to my point.

Miller is the antithesis of the majority of Americans. Apathy is running rampant. It's embraced as if it were virtue. Most people I meet have no opinion or worse have no clue what I am talking about. "Uh...one of the Bushes is taking us to war...give me a bumper sticker so I can support our troops." I know most believe the country is more partisan now than ever, but guess what? On Nov. 2, tens of millions will go to sleep without expressing their view. In the furious words of Rage Against the Machine, "WAKE UP!!!" Get an opinion. Any opinion. Read O'Reilly's book. Read Moore's book. See which makes the most sense to you. Go to a bar or coffeehouse and reignite the lost art of conversation. But most of all, get off your indifferent ass and vote.

--David Carlisle

To know Nader is to love Nader

Here are some questions you should ask yourself before you vote this November.

Why was Ralph Nader not included in the presidential election debates in 2000 and why won't he be included in 2004? I'm sure Tom Brokaw could come up with a question or two for Mr. Nader.

Do you trust the people who want to dispose of radioactive waste in Yucca Mountain? Didn't they once tell us that atmospheric testing of nuclear bombs north of Las Vegas was safe?

Why is the Democratic Party of Nevada petitioning the courts to remove Ralph Nader from the ballot this November? Aren't our young men and women in Iraq dying for free elections there?

Why is Britney Spears allowed to get married in Las Vegas for less than two days, but same-sex couples are not allowed to get married here? Do we not have enough chapels? Maybe we don't have enough flamboyance or flare.

Why do we incarcerate nonviolent drug addicts? We don't incarcerate nonviolent alcohol and nicotine addicts.

Do you think a President Nader would pass legislation and start initiatives to benefit you or some CEO? I know what my answers to these questions are. What are yours? Go to votenader.org and answer these questions for yourself.

--Paul Fayle