Dear Editor,

Where is your tabby cat? Is it missing? Has it gone missing in the past few days? I know where it is and it isn’t coming home again ever. A fiend has murdered it foully and with glee. Yes it was murdered; suffocated by a plastic bag fastened over its head. Its front paws are wrapped with black tape. Its pitiful little body has been discarded like a soiled diaper.

It’s only a cat, you say? But that isn’t the whole of the crime and the men and women of the Lyon County Sheriff’s office know this. The James Bielas of this world have a nasty way of beginning their abominable careers by torturing and killing animals. Perhaps you’ve already forgotten who James Biela is. He’s the beast who (allegedly) raped and strangled the lovely young Brianna Denison and tossed her pitiful body into a vacant field like so much trash. Is my leap of logic too long for you?

Where is your little girl right now? Is she riding her bike to the 7-Eleven for a Slurpee or walking to a neighbor’s house to play with her best friend? Perhaps she is at the park; are you certain? Because someone in Friendly Fernley is a monster and she might not be where you think she is.

This sad little cat was dumped in the desert by someone old enough to drive because the body is too far for just casually walking so the creep has access to a vehicle. Maybe your little girl is crossing the street right in front of this monster. Maybe he’s aware no one is watching and he can snatch her unseen. Am I leaping to conclusions too far fetched for you? Well I’m not.

Three of us went to target shoot in an area obviously frequented for this purpose and also convenient for dumping trash, as it is everywhere just a few hundred yards beyond the boarded-up former Truck Inn and in a shallow depression past a small power station. Thousands of spent cartridges and used shotgun shells testify to the frequency of use in this place. It is not particularly deserted. Someone brought the evidence of their crime and disposed of it here amidst the shot-up refuse. We walked out to inspect a football helmet we used as a target and one of us saw the horror and warned us away so I did not see the worst of the remains. It ruined our outing and we quickly departed. But the image haunts my imagination and I cannot sleep. It chills me to my soul knowing someone is out there that is capable of this cruelty.

The profile of the killer … probably a white male

Is he your son? You surely are not unaware you’ve birthed a fiend. There are likely to be signs of aberration and perhaps you deny and ignore them. This little cat might even be your own family pet and it’s gone missing mysteriously. This cat belonged to someone as most feral cats are too (elusive) to be handled easily and are often violently defensive when trapped.

Where is the person who knows this black and silver tabby? It is probable the animal lived in close proximity to its murderer and made for easy prey. It is possible more than one person was involved in its death or that others know of it from bragging. Maybe the creep sits next to your child in high school or lives across the street from you. He represents a clear and present danger to any helpless creature he encounters. The truth is known to someone; confess and get the help you need before your crimes escalate to homicide. I’m not being alarmist. Psychologists and criminologists know the pattern of serial killers forms early with the killing of animals. ...

Who would want to claim Jeffrey Dahmer for a son? Dahmer killed animals and kept their rotting corpses to gloat over. He hanged them and nailed them to trees in the woods behind his house so he could relive the moment of their deaths. Eventually he came to kill and devour humans, so you see the horror in your midst?

Someone’s pet is missing. Call the Lyon County Sheriff’s office and report to them if your animal has disappeared. Let the authorities know you care and are concerned not just for the welfare of animals but for the portents their death represent. Keep your beloved pets home, don’t let them roam, don’t let them become victims. Take this tragedy seriously. It isn’t simply the life of an animal that is at stake here.

Where is your child right now?

Roberta Shaw

Reno

Dear Editor,

I have found it. A paper that speaks my language. It’s like you’ve been peeking over my shoulder or reading my mind.

Your opinion section speaks the truth, which some people don’t appreciate. In my 73 years I’ve been a member of two unions, C.W.A. and the Plumbers Local 38, S.F.

Both occupations have led me into circumstances that are reflected still today. Many of your comments by all who contribute to the opinion columns remind me of my past as well as present concerns.

My experience runs parallel with their writings. My ideas run the same course.

The situation we have today with a broken system was experienced by myself in the early ’80s with Reagan and conservativism.

Lost property, lost business, lost family, lost faith in many ways.

At age 45 I lost everything I had worked for to that time. Today is much worse for many more and a large scale. We need to fall back to the basics in thought and deed. We need to work for the majority, not just a few.

The government needs to work for the majority, not just a few.

The money needs to be in the hands of the majority, not just a few.

The work is needed and the jobs are there. If our local leaders would look out for the populous instead of special interests, the money would be put to better use.

How come things like the bridge on Virginia Street were not taken care of long ago? Maybe because of greed and convervativism.

Other things were priority. It would have been a lot less expensive to the majority. How would have that have reflected on the flood?

That is only one example. Look around and you’ll see many more places where our area needs work to be done.

There is plenty of labor available and wanting to work. Even college students who like to play in concrete could work their way through school building new sidewalks.

Recycling is a whole different subject with many possibilities. Volunteering for clean-up will last you a lifetime. Use what we have instead of buying new every month. Help your neighbor instead of throwing garbage in their yard. Follow the rules on the bus instead of acting like it’s your own bedroom.

Jack Kunce

Sparks