Re: No Kings
I was impressed by the “No Kings” crowd last Saturday. Unlike last June in Sayre Park, not one person gave me a middle-digit salute, though I was wearing my “not fit for print” t-shirt. Thank you, peaceful protesters!
It seemed many if not most of the crowd seemed to be older folks, older white folks like me. They all seemed in good health and financially well-off. Which made me wonder, were they all global humanists wanting one more “good deed” on their tally towards heaven. Or were they there out of boredom?
I don’t know, maybe I’ve been so richly blessed with my family and good health while residing in this lap of nature’s Eden that I can’t fathom their whining discontent. Then again, maybe that old saw, “misery loves company” explains it.
Funny, I didn’t notice any Hispanics protesting. They were probably working or spending time with their families.
There is one lady I want to apologize to. She verbally assaulted me with rapid-fire questions sans an opportunity to reply. Questions like: “What do you think of women’s rights?” and “How about all those migrants arrested in court while trying to get legalized?”
Whether it was the machine gun pace or her harpy tone of voice, I unfortunately lost patience and said some rude things to her. So, sweetheart, I am sorry.
Five minutes later I thought about what I should have said. Like, “Madam, you are misinformed, the illegals ICE arrests outside of courts are there for crimes they committed,” and “Men shouldn’t play in women’s sports or share bathrooms with them.”
I do want to thank all of our protesters for the restraint they exhibited. And I’m sure the Vertex security guard that stood next to me for almost two hours had no bearing on the protesters’ restraint.
A closing thought for all you unhappy protesters, “Count your blessings, you folks don’t know how good you have it.”
P.S. Your silly slogans still suck, but your Halloween costumes were great.
Bruno Kirchenwitz
Rifle
Re: Re: No Kings
This past Saturday, a few Carbondalians made their way at 10am to our roundabout to protest for “No Kings Day.” I stayed one hour with an American flag. The main event took place in Glenwood. Here are a few observations. Traffic was almost constant. A little less than half the vehicles gave a thumbs-up and/or a honk or two. We had one incident of “rolling coal” but with a gas pickup that didn’t make smoke. I saw one middle finger. Only a small minority of people used their turn signal lights, which is common in Europe. Colorado traffic tips asks for drivers to signal when you will leave the roundabout. This makes it safer.
One driver stopped and rolled down his window to ask me if I thought “virtue signaling would have any positive effect.” I said yes. There were more than 2,500 rallies planned around the country. The organizers say that the June 14 event had some 5 million people turn out. They expected this turnout to be larger. A lot of people are experiencing a lot of anxiety about our government today. Turning out makes one feel better. Turning out is sending a signal to the political leaders that they aren’t doing what is needed.
I have marched against the Vietnam War. I marched against the invasion of Iraq. I marched for climate change. And I was there on Saturday. The implication of saying “virtue signaling” is that people do it for wanting to “appear virtuous” rather than making a meaningful action. I wonder if using the term is a way of justifying a personal behavior that is really harmful. There is a lot of what is called “cognitive dissonance” going around. Especially with politicians who know they are doing something destructive but are too afraid to face a backlash. Like the U.S. House that is on “vacation.”
Patrick Hunter
Carbondale
No on 7A
Ballot Issue 7A is another attempt to bypass TABOR with a new sales tax of .25% for residents from Aspen to Parachute. Voters are asked to approve a special taxing district called the Confluence Early Childhood Development Service District to subsidize childcare for kids aged 0-5. It sounds good until you read the entire initiative at www.cececoalition.org — click on the blue tab called “Full Service Plan.” The money can be spent on salaries, administration, building rental, grant writing, etc. What little is left will be paid directly to childcare providers that meet their standards.
Sounds like another bloated bureaucracy that will only benefit itself. Why not task some of their partners to accomplish the same objectives? To name a few: Early Childhood Network, Raising A Reader and Yampah Valley High School, among others. This district will not provide any direct services. On page 5 it states, “The District will not operate early care and education programs itself, will not guarantee access to or enrollment in any program, and will not guarantee any specific amount of financial support.” Read that again, no guarantee of money. To further complicate and control the process, on Page 7 it states, “Only providers who agree to, meet, and comply with the conditions of District programs will be eligible to receive District funding.”
Remember, voters created the Garfield County Libraries as a special tax district. It now has a $25 million fund balance — taxpayer money it’s holding on to claiming its for a future budget shortfall. They raise $12.8 million from sales tax and bonds, and have a $12.1 million annual budget. They don’t have to give a dime back. This is how to by-pass TABOR. Request a copy of their financials and budget. The library approves their own budget, with only a review by the county commissioners.
A special taxing district is not the way to help families, it’s a way to help CECE (Confluence Early Childhood Education). Think about how USAID spent tax dollars on questionable programs. Vote NO on 7A.
Trish O’Grady
Rifle
Keep guns out of schools
I’ve seen two plays within a week of each other recently that covered the same all too present topic — school shootings.
“The Secretary” at the Thunder River Theatre portrayed a fictitious series of tragedies in a small town triggered by an armed school secretary shooting a student. The focus was on the issue of “Do guns kill people or do people kill people?” Obviously, people kill people, but guns make it too easy.
This was followed by Sopris Theatre Company’s production of “26 Pebbles,” a play about the horrendous Sandy Hook massacre, Alex Jones be damned. The impact on the small town of Newtown, Connecticut was stressed.
We have four ladies running for two slots on the Roaring Fork School District Board of Education. Two of them, Elizabeth Taylor and Jodi Barr, believe teachers should carry guns. The other two, Kathryn Kuhlenberg and Tammy Nimmo, don’t think that’s such a great idea.
Kuhlenberg and Nimmo get my vote. The school secretary in “The Secretary” was deranged. Who’s to say a teacher wouldn’t be?
“Johnny, I’m tired of your acting out.” Kablooey.
Fred Malo Jr.
Carbondale
Yoga love
In September, I attended free yoga sessions led by Devika Gurung and sponsored by the Carbondale library. At the final session I thanked Devika for the opportunity to join her classes but said I would not be continuing due to lack of sufficient funds. She has kindly allowed me access and is searching for grants and sponsorships that will allow seniors to continue these wonderful classes.
I wish to express my gratitude to Devika, the library, rec center and all the other entities who reach out to seniors as well as others in need. Carbondale is such a caring community.
Thank you!
Judy Schmidt
Carbondale
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