It’d be easy to taunt Boulder’s endless wellspring of emotion regarding the gentle elk mercilessly killed by police officers just weeks ago. In the most glaring example of only-in-Boulder that we’ve seen in years, the martyred elk has inspired a song, a candlelight vigil allegedly attended by hundreds, sad attempts at poetic letters to the editor, and who knows what else. It’d be like shooting fish in a barrel, or rather, using your status as a law enforcement officer to try to get away with illegally poaching a friendly elk in the middle of a neighborhood street.
But we’re rather more concerned about the effects of this most recent cold spell on Boulder’s homeless population, which we’re betting that many attending the elk’s candlelight vigil don’t like to think about. A 36-year-old man died on Jan. 13 in a warming center at Congregation Har Hashem. Where is his candlelight vigil?
A memorial service is being planned, but for some reason we doubt it will be as popular as the elk’s. This is a town that has passed law after law making it harder to be homeless in this city. The Boulder Shelter for the Homeless’ budget is somewhere around $1.6 million; the Humane Society of Boulder Valley’s budget is about $5.6 million. If a memorial happens, we’ll see how many people show up.
Here’s hoping Boulder redoubles its efforts to ensure no one else slips through the holes of the local safety net.
MYSTERY MISSION TO MARS
Apparently there’s this nonprofit in the Netherlands called Mars One that wants to establish a settlement of humans on Mars in 10 years, and they are accepting applications.
And they make it clear it will be a one-way ticket. The requirements involve being able to play well with others, essentially. Oh, and you have to be at least 18. And get this: There will be six teams selected as finalists, but they’re leaving it up to a worldwide vote on which of the teams gets to go. Talk about taking reality TV to a whole new level.
What’s next? Whoever gets voted off the island is sent away in a capsule hurtling toward the sun?
If you’re interested in applying — or you’d like to nominate someone (we can think of a few, and no, they’re not all on city council) — check out http://marsone.com/en.
FRACTIVISTS UNITE
The movement against fracking in Colorado appears to have coalesced even further this week, as more than 25 groups have announced they are forming a statewide coalition calling itself “Protect Our Colorado.”
Sure, there are anti-fracking organizations from around the state involved, including local groups like Our Longmont, Boulder County Citizens for Community Rights, Frack Free Boulder and East Boulder County United, but there are also companies like Patagonia, Inc. and Lighthouse Solar, not to mention the United Universalist Church of Greeley.
The press release we got quotes Patagonia CEO Casey Sheahan as saying, “For the future of our children and our state, it’s essential that we stop fracking in Colorado and move immediately to a renewable energy economy.”
The group’s goal? To get Gov. Frackenlooper and state legislators to ban fracking outright.
Good luck with that, folks. As John Candy said in Trains, Plains and Automobiles, you’d have better luck finding a three-legged ballerina. Or playing pick-up sticks with your butt cheeks.
But we admire your spirit!
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