Musical chairs and Russian
aid to Venezuela
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
As María Faria rushes unencumbered by diplomatic good taste, from one position on the Venezuelan chess board to another in Costa Rica, selected by handpicked presidents at the behest of Big Daddy governments. What used to take years of international gamesmanship is now done at lightning speed and with little concern for appearance.
Blood is thicker than water. In barrios throughout Latin America, families stick together, first in their barrios, then their pueblos. Old families grow over the years, they become entrepreneurs, police, thieves, nun’s, clerics or prostitutes. Some enter into politics and their family stands behind them, some become powerful.
Labels like Socialist, Communist, Capitalist, Fascist, Free Market, devolve into sound bites. Truth is, these rarely have anything to do with logic or morality, just different colored shorts in a barrio soccer game.
Doesn’t matter how or why, but Nicaragua, Cuba, China, and Russia all wear the same red shorts… they want Venezuela’s oil, and are willing to fight for it. The U.S., likely poised at the border with war toys, doesn’t need oil, but doesn’t want to lose the game… for them it’s now or never.
Russia, never really in the game, is doing its best to cover its hind quarters. They didn’t start this and would gladly stop if we did. But the U.S. is on a war footing and can’t, unless enough of us see what’s going on… then just maybe.
At the very least, we should stop looking at our phones and choose news sources that tell it like it is… A.M. Costa Rica is a good start.
Paul Furlong,
Atenas, Alajuela
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My thoughts on AK assault weapons
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
For the people that were putting forth the bill that would allow people to have AR-15's and other types of AK type weapons in the home for protection, I do not think they have any comprehension of what these types of weapons are good for.
They are great for killing you neighbor. They can shoot through a concrete block unless it is poured full of cement. If shot at an upward angle through a door or window they can kill someone up to two kilometers away.
They can shoot through a person and kill someone behind them.
The best weapon to have for home protection is a 12 gauge shotgun with bird shot no bigger than #4 or #6. No slugs. A 12 gauge slug will shoot through a car door, through the other door and still kill you. If someone is in your house or trying to get in you can just about blow his head off with bird shot and not worry about killing someone across the street.
When in the U.S., I keep just a small 410 gauge shotgun under the edge of my bed. Even that is deadly at a short range.
Robert Woodrow,
Curridabat, San Jose
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My response to Paul Furlong
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
Efforts like Paul Furlong‘s and other gun promoters are so senseless because they fly in the face of actual statistics and real proof on a worldwide basis.
The only ones in need of arms are the military, police and official guards.
Those who most profit from the proliferation of guns are those who sell, promote and benefit from campaign donations like the U.S. Congress does.
If the U.S. isn’t a prime example of why there needs to be strict gun control like most of the civilized world has, I don’t know what else could convince you.
Even young people who have become the target of school shootings realize this and are beginning to push adults to wake up and admit the obvious.
Jean Redmond,
Moravia, San Jose
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My thoughts on weapons restriction
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
I am puzzled as to why the legislation proposed in Costa Rica for gun ownership would consider allowing a person to only own one firearm, rather than three, which is a reasonable number, but in reality has nothing to do with the reality of gun ownership, and who does and does not have weapons of any type.
Criminals do not care what restrictions are imposed, in any country, they buy whatever black market guns they want and as many as they want.
Legal gun owners are rarely the ones committing firearm crimes, other than those domestic gun crimes that have nothing to do with how many guns the mentally unstable person has in most situations. Mass killers will get the additional guns the same way as other criminals do, on the black market.
But from my perspective, when traveling I would prefer to be able to carry a weapon, so a shotgun or rifle is not suitable for that, and for defense of my home I would prefer to have a shotgun.
This one gun proposal has no merit that I can think of, just a way of exerting control over legal gun owners. That does not make sense.
Jim Day,
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
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My thoughts global warming
Dear A.M. Costa Rica readers:
Dear Editor....I glad you ran the WWF article because I still can't understand how limiting CO2 is a good thing.
The article says that CO2 is as essential for plant life as oxygen is for humans and that there is a de-greening(deforestation) of the world.
I read that indoor growers in the US are adding CO2 at 5 times the current ambient level to maximize plant growth/production.
So, what is the plant absorption limit of CO2 then?
Wouldn't the increase in CO2 help re-green the planet and give the planet a greater capacity to absorb CO2?
I mean, people are always saying how important the rain-forests are for our planetary health, right?
The other thing is, I think, we depend on the plants to create oxygen for us.
Won't the reduction of CO2 from current levels reduce the amount of oxygen that is available for humans? Not to mention food.
I mean is there another source of new oxygen for humans to breath besides that which is produced by plants?
I doubt the WWF will reply to these questions, but I hope some more knowledgeable A.M. Costa Rica readers can weigh in with their thoughts/ideas.
Thanks
Albert Lusk ,
San Isidro, Heredia
-----------------------------------------------------------------Editor’s note: The
views or opinions expressed by the authors are the sole and exclusive
responsibility of the senders and do not necessarily represent the
opinion of A.M. Costa Rica. Therefore, the newspaper does not accept
liability for reader's opinion letter content. |
