Letters to the editor for Friday, Aug. 9, 2013

Policy allowed Trayvon to avoid arrest twice

The commentary by Marilee Swirczek in the July 28 Nevada Appeal leads me to believe she has been mislead by the media in this tragic affair.

It was not a Martin vs. Zimmerman event. While pictures of young Trayvon Martin were plentiful, no one saw the pictures of him as the 6 feet, 3 inches tall 17-year-old. George Zimmerman was portrayed as an older gun toting vigilante, not as a 5 feet 9 inches tall security person.

Some other facts to consider: the event might never have happened if school officials in Miami-Dade County had not instituted an unofficial policy of treating crimes as school disciplinary infractions. Revelations that emerged from an internal affairs investigation explain why Martin was not arrested at school with stolen jewelry in October 2011 or with marijuana in February 2012. For confirmation, go to http://spectator.org/blog/2013/07/15/trayvon-crime-school-miami.

The not-so-innocent 17-year-old Martin, according to many of the prosecution’s witnesses, may have been the instigator of the physical altercation that took place. Mr. Martin may have had a prefrontal cortex development problem, but by 17 he should know the difference between “‘right” and “wrong.”

Law enforcement officers, security guards, etc. do not carry weapons for assertive actions, but for self defense. Survival being a basis instinct, most of us would probably use whatever means available if we thought our life was at stake. The gnawing in my gut is that many individuals are willing to ignore facts.

Sanford Deyo

Minden

Let’s put some study into effects of fracking

Why start fracking before we have scientific data that informs us of its consequences for the overall health of our people? No point in mortgaging the future!

David Zahrt

Carson City