Re: Bruno Kirchenwitz
To address vehement hatred in woke folks Bruno spoke of, I’ll focus on ICE; however, there are many aspects of the Trump administration that are cause for alarm. Congress worked out bipartisan immigration reform in 2024. Trump called senators to block this reform so that it could be a primary campaign topic. Trump likes to make immigrants out to be the cause of all our problems so that he can get your vote. Undocumented workers pay social security tax and income tax but do not receive benefits; they pay more into our system than what they receive. This is fact. From the Cato Institute: “Our analysis in this paper shows that immigrants generated a fiscal surplus of about $14.5 trillion from 1994 to 2023, that the average immigrant is much less costly than the average US-born American, and that immigrants impose lower costs per person on old-age benefit, education, and public safety programs.”
During his campaign, Trump promised to deport the worst of the worst: murderers, rapists and thieves. To meet quotas, DHS is rounding up people and sending them to detention centers without due process. ICE agents are not well trained, do not wear name tags or uniforms, do not have body cams and their faces are covered. In my estimation, this does not equate to proper law enforcement.
In their zeal to round up illegal aliens, ICE agents have murdered three U.S. citizens, deported a 2-month-old sick baby, captured a little 5-year-old boy wearing a bunny hat and left a partially blind refugee on the streets of Buffalo, New York. I’m sure there is more.
I’ve heard arguments that illegal immigrants are not entitled to due process due to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRAIRA) which allows for expedited removal without a formal review or judicial hearing. However, what is going on today in our country goes beyond what has happened in prior administrations. Clearly, we need comprehensive immigration reform, but what is occurring under the Trump administration is reprehensible. Horrified is a better word to describe how I feel about the immoral Trump regime.
In order to really understand us woke folks, I encourage you to read “Letters from an American” by Heather Cox Richardson. You can find her on Substack and Facebook. She is a respected historian, documenting with facts what is happening today.
Valerie Gilliam
Carbondale
Re: Patrick Morrissy
How is Congressman Hurd NOT protecting the people of Colorado? By removing ineligible people from Medicaid? By removing ineligible people from SNAP (food stamps)?
Then you go into the tired trope… giving tax breaks to the wealthy (who create jobs), cut funding on alternative energy (only the unsustainable), and ruin any credibility you might have with the “funding a runaway gestapo” comment.
If “ordinary citizens” are fearful of those unidentified (never mind ID on their vests, badges and jackets) masked federal officers, then it appears THEY have a problem. Those federal officers are masked because those fine citizens attacking, impeding and assaulting them are also doxing them and their families with death threats. So, you support death threats?
I would also posit that Congressman Hurd IS representing US, maybe just not YOU.
Cheryl Rust
Carbondale
Public discourse
I attended the Harvest Roaring Fork PUD hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 25 before the Garfield County Planning Commission. At a time when hundreds of residents showed up in good faith to voice their concerns about a large-scale development that would dramatically change our mountain community, we witnessed outrage by one of the planning commissioners, John Kuersten, directed not at the developer behind the proposal, but at the assistant county attorney, Kelly Cave. His behavior was very childish, disrespectful and unacceptable. Public comments had not even been heard when in his rage at the assistant county attorney, he stated he is now going to vote YES for this development!
Disagreements are part of governance, but responding with visible anger toward legal counsel during a public forum does not inspire confidence. It distracts from the issues and undermines trust in the process. Our community deserves thoughtful leadership, respectful dialogue, and decisions grounded in transparency and accountability, particularly when facing a development of this magnitude.
I urge our county officials to approach this matter with seriousness, professionalism, and the respect it demands.
John Kuersten should now recuse himself from further participation in the proceedings in this application.
Maria Maniscalchi
Glenwood Springs
American Legion love
I want to sincerely recognize and thank Mike Adams, the new American Legion Post 100 commander in Carbondale, for expanding and hosting community on Feb. 20. Mike grilled local beef burgers while Olivia the Bard and Bridger Langfur played a number of original tunes and over 30 community folks stopped by and stayed a while. It was genuine community building and quite fun. Our local veterans so generously served our country, and now they are welcoming and serving our community. Mike, we’re looking forward to the next community night. Thank you!
Sarah R. Johnson
Basalt
Dinkel love
Every time I walk past the corner of 4th and Main St. I feel gratitude for the owner of the Dinkel Building. The renovation of the building probably did not make economic sense and the effort to honor what is probably the most important building in town is an act of civic grace.
I do not know the owner so I can only say it through the media, thank you!
Bob Schultz
Carbondale
The 3.5% Rule
Greetings to my beloved community of the Roaring Fork Valley. In George Orwell’s novel, “1984,” the totalitarian government (“The Party”) uses the “Ministry of Truth” to rewrite history, destroy documents, and use a language called “Newspeak” to eliminate words that could facilitate rebellious thought. The Trump administration, a Republican-controlled Congress, and a conservative media are orchestrating a non-fictional production, “2026,” to express this prophetic narrative. Initiated in 2025, the No Kings Day protests were a series of widespread, peaceful, and massive demonstrations across all 50 U.S. states, aimed at opposing the authoritarianism and executive overreach of the Donald Trump administration. Held on Oct. 18, 2025, the second No Kings Day protest drew an estimated 7 million people across more than 2,700 rallies nationwide to defend our democracy against a “king-like” presidency. The third national No Kings Day protest is scheduled for March 28, 2026.
The 3.5% Rule, formulated by Harvard Kennedy School professor Erica Chenoweth, is a concept that states that when 3.5% of the population of a country protests nonviolently against an authoritarian government, the government is likely to fall from power. The March event may very well surpass the 3.5% threshold, which is approximately 11.75 million people.
Jim Coddington III
New York
Thanks
On behalf of the Aspen Daily News Journalism Fund, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to the women of the Aspen Thrift Shop for their generous support of our paid summer internship program.
Their investment allows us to continue bringing a talented student journalist to the Roaring Fork Valley each summer — not only to learn the craft of local reporting, but to meaningfully contribute to the civic life of this community. Our 2025 intern accomplished so much during her time with us that she was able to graduate early, a testament to both her hard work and the real-world opportunities made possible through this program. That kind of impact begins with community partners who believe in the importance of local journalism.
The Aspen Daily News Journalism Fund exists to strengthen independent reporting and invest in the next generation of storytellers who will carry this work forward. We are deeply grateful to the Aspen Thrift Shop for sharing that vision and for supporting a program that helps ensure our valley continues to be served by thoughtful, engaged, and well-trained journalists.
Megan Tackett
Aspen Daily News
Double thanks
The Soldner Center for the Arts and Innovation would like to thank the Aspen Thrift Shop for their support for our nonprofit and the Ginny Soldner Poetry Collaborative.
Through sales of donated, gently-used items, over 200 hard working volunteer women are helping to fund more than 125 nonprofits in the Roaring Fork Valley. Their belief in and commitment to our community and to those who make lives better is remarkable and truly needed. Thank you for all that each of you do for us in the Roaring Fork Valley!
This year the Aspen Thrift Shop is helping to support the second year of the Ginny Soldner Poetry Collaborative in the inspiring, natural setting of the historic home of Paul and Ginny Soldner. Our May 29 to June 30 in-person workshop will be followed by semimonthly Zoom sessions guided by published poet and teacher Heather Swan and a new writing community for the next 11 months. The Zoom gatherings will be generative spaces for expanding poetry writing and will feature a wide variety of guest poets throughout the year.
Because of the ladies of the Thrift Shop’s support, for the first time the Soldner Center and Heather Swan will be joined by nationally known and beloved poet James Crews, for a free openhearted public poetry reading in the Aspen Chapel sanctuary. Please plan to join us May 30, 7 to 9pm, followed by a reception and book signing.
For more information, please go to www.soldnercenter.com/a-year-of-poetry
Stephanie Soldner
Soldner Center for the Arts and Innovation
Letters policy: The Sopris Sun welcomes local letters to the editor. Shorter letters stand a better chance of being printed. Letters exclusive to The Sopris Sun (not appearing in other papers) are particularly welcome. Please, no smearing, cite your facts and include your name and place of residence or association. Letters are due to news@soprissun.com by noon on the Monday before we go to print.