The world is enflamed. NATO is multiplying its military force on the Russian border by seven times its current strength; China continues to threaten Taiwan and the US with military action; Russia actively carries out a genocidal war against the people of Ukraine, recently striking multiple civilian targets with no goal other than to kill as many innocent people as possible; China is holding over a million Uyghur Muslims in concentration camps; Iran and Argentina recently requested to join an alliance led by Russia and China. And instead of focusing on these issues which spit in the face of American leadership and human rights, our country works to strip away the rights of women.

After the massive mail slowdowns and postage hikes of 2021, Congress took action to financially stabilize the U.S. Postal Service by passing a historic, bipartisan postal reform bill. The bill freed the Postal Service from an unreasonable 2006 law demanding that it prefund retiree health benefits 75 years in advance—a requirement that put billions of dollars on the Postal Service’s balance sheet each year and motivated it to keep hiking postage rates while reducing services.

Dear Editor: A big thank you to Kylie for her column about rain; it was just right for our tired land and our hearts. And now to have it in abundance in the midst of the drought is a miracle.

Change can be incredibly overwhelming and scary sometimes. Our initial reaction might be to resist such change, and that’s natural. I think that with time and perspective though, change turns into something that we can embrace rather than fear.

Dear editor, There seems to be some misunderstanding about the meaning of the words used in the Second Amendment. Mr. Lopez is correct that rights cannot be taken away, a birthright. Being regulated has several meanings, the most common at the time of the writing of the Bill of Rights has the meaning of being in good operating condition, an example is the clock on my wall, it’s well-regulated to keep proper time. The militia consists of the organized militia, e.g., a state militia, and the unorganized militia, i.e., the whole of the people. Please explain how further regulation of the sale of firearms would stop those who intend to break even greater laws, against murder, for example? There are between 20,000- and 30,000-gun laws on the books, federal, state and local. It seems those have failed to stop the perpetrators of atrocity. Mr. Lopez seems to think that increasing the age to purchase a firearm might help. Since I purchased my first rifle, a Remington 22 rimfire, at the age of seven I haven’t shot anyone with it, still have it, too. The age of the murderer isn’t relevant, his/her attitude and purpose are. A criminal in Wisconsin injured over 60 and killed many with an SUV. Where are the calls to restrict cars and trucks? Focusing on the tool instead of root causes will only allow the problem to continue. Exposing those who announce their evil intent and dealing with them in a proper, consistent with their rights, manner is where we should direct our efforts. We should not be focusing on restricting the vast majority who are not the problem. David W. Loeffler Grants, NM

Dear Editor, In response to Ralph Lucero's clearing up the facts letter. The fact is that the County receives the majority/bulk of its money from property taxes received from the City of Grants and the Village of Milan.

What I wanted to do on Election Day last Tuesday afternoon, June 7 was to simply fulfill my duty as a United States citizen living in New Mexico's Cibola County and vote. I didn't expect to come home with a dog.

Cleaning for the Love of Cibola Dear editor, You would have to be blind not to see dozens of bags of trash along Old McBride Road and Lobo Canyon Road last week. The New Mexico Department of Transportation, District 6, was out in big numbers picking up trash along both of these roads.

I love the constitution, and I struggle when it comes to issues that are specifically codified in the Constitution because these rights are ours by birthright, and they cannot be taken away. The United States is suffering an epidemic of gun violence and there is a great big fear that rights like the Second Amendment are at risk. I don’t think that’s a serious issue that we have to contend with, personally, but we must always be vigilant to ensure that they are not taken. So, lets discuss the Second Amendment.

There is a sexual assault taking place right now. Every 68 seconds, someone in America is sexually assaulted.