Innovative initiatives like Boulder County’s 1B and 1C, on the upcoming November elections, are leading the way toward the creation of a sustainable energy future, and in doing so, have piqued a lot of interest worldwide. Bond Issue 1B is an extension of ClimateSmart, last year’s very successful Bond Issue 1A, which enabled hundreds of Boulder County residents to share in the responsibility of creating that sustainable future by reducing their carbon emissions through energy conservation measures and/or the installation of clean, renewable energy equipment. This opt-in opportunity was accomplished without any increases to utility rates or to taxpayers. Boulder County’s 1C will bring public buildings into the mix. It is going to take a lot of similar initiatives worldwide to make our energy future a sustainable reality, so all eyes are on the citizens of Boulder County.
Vote YES on 1B and 1C. The world is watching!
Mike Morton/Westminster
The megachurch mindset
(Re: “The gloves come off,” Cover Story, Oct. 1) Back in the 1980s, I lived in Colorado Springs, a smaller city undergoing big changes. More and more evangelical groups began to make the Springs their headquarters, to the point the evangelicals now consider the Springs to be their own “Vatican.” Evangelicals tend to be patriarchal and martial, which fits in well with the military culture of Colorado Springs. They also believe in a free-market capitalism and embrace the marketing tactics of capitalism.
The New Life megachurch in Colorado Springs boasts large, swordwielding statues of angels in the main building, a testament to God’s avenging power. Several large video screens bombard the Sunday crowds with a steady beat of fundamentalist messages, complete with Christian rock bands that work together to whip the faithful and unfaithful into a spirit-filled frenzy. Never mind the Ted Haggard scandal, the church continues to grow. It also overlooks the Air Force Academy and sports the same color scheme of silver and blue. Colorado Springs has become an urban sprawl of cheap tract homes, strip malls, tax-starved public schools, with open arms towards tax-free developments and businesses. Every time a tax increase is advocated, it is voted down to the point that the city is losing many of its basic services. It may be the fundamentalist Vatican, but it looks pretty shabby while the crime rate continues to go up.
Turn now to Niwot and Rocky Mountain Christian Church. Already a megachurch, it wishes to grow even larger, fighting Boulder County to do so. Rocky Mountain Christian is on Longmont’s southern border and is a close cousin to Longmont’s own megachurch, Lifebridge. Lifebridge desires to build a 300-acre
development on Longmont’s eastern border. Lifebridge also has satellite
churches and schools in Frederick and Johnstown. These schools teach a
fundamentalist view of civics, history and science.
Evangelicals
and fundamentalists (really no difference, they both consider the Bible
as the inerrant Word of God) see this as a spiritual battle between
good and evil. They are good, the world is controlled by Satan and his
minions. Many evangelicals consider Longmont councilwoman [Karen]
Benker and other council members as a spiritual enemy. Developers, some
fundamentalists and other just free-market capitalists see most of the
current council as a roadblock to unfettered growth. Some food for
thought. This is why the mayoral and council elections in Longmont are
so important to me.
Chris Maidl/Longmont
Get over Darwin
(Re: “Evolution Revolution,” Buzz, Oct. 8) Evolution, really? Evolution is so over. Haven’t you heard of DNA? DNA specifically
prohibits the “evolution of species.” Which, by the way, brings me to
the continual lack of editing in this subject. “Evolution” is not a proper noun in this case. It is a
fragment of a phrase, “evolution of species,” which is what Darwin
wrote about. The public has been encouraged to believe dog breeding is
an example of the evolutionary process. Nothing could be further from
the truth. Dogs cannot migrate into cats. DNA explains why not. DNA is
a specific design for each species. By the laws of physics, chemistry
and biology, species cannot change into another species by chance.
Period. End of argument. Let’s move on.
How do these designs work? How did the designs come to be? But for sure, bury Darwin. He is so Victorian …
Michael Maish/Boulder
Editor’s
note: “Evolution Revolution” did not use “evolution” as a proper noun
and only capitalized the word when grammatically necessary.
Print computer models
The two million people
of India and China are convinced that global warming due to carbon
emissions is a sham by the Western world to limit their economic
development. They do not believe what, to them, is fear-mongering. We
need to show them computer modeling of what to realistically expect
from their expansion of the use of fuel.
Boulder Weekly should
print the results of each of the computer models so we can anticipate
the changes to our world. Hopefully the models will include the obvious
physics that melting, floating ice does not change the water level, and
the reports from the scientists living on the Antarctic continent that
the south ice cap is growing. We must be careful to understand all the
major causes of climate change, not just carbon oxides.
Tom Mueller/Broomfield
Oppose Erie question 2A
Regarding your Vote
2009 article, “Don’t ignore your ballot, your say” (Oct. 8) in which
you say, “For ballot issues, we researched the pros and cons and looked
at who supports or opposes each issue and why. … Erie Ballot Question
2A — Vote Yes,” I disagree with your biased endorsement of this ballot
issue.
The voters need to
have all the information before making a decision, and I encourage you
to consider and share the following information.
For
over a year we have been in communication with Mayor [Andrew] Moore and
the Board of Trustees to look at all possibilities and opportunities
for the Arts Coalition of Erie (ACE) to obtain a suitable building in
Old Town Erie to create a Cultural Arts Center. ACE has collected
signatures of over 500 townspeople who want to see an Arts Center in
downtown Erie that will include not only the visual arts, but little
theatre, poetry, dance and small-venue concerts. We have presented this
petition to the Board of Trustees and continue to collect signatures.
The old fire station was our number one goal to obtain, however the
town officials have decided to put the building and land on the
chopping block, on a special November ballot for voters to give the
town the power to sell it. (Rumor has it that Wolfgang will purchase it
for $200,000.)
Is
Motherhood, Town Government, once again thinking of the real needs for
its citizens and Erie? Do the voters really know what will happen to
this vital location in downtown Erie or that old town Erie restaurants,
shops and merchants are struggling to stay afloat? Is “Four Corners”
Erie’s only future? The Arts Center of Erie, in conjunction with ACE,
would bring needed traffic to Old Town Erie. We will provide a
professional setting that fosters creativity, quality art, classes,
theatre and interaction among artists, patrons and the public.
We
urge Erie voters to look into this ballot item and vote “no” in
November to sell off our Old Town Erie land, and show our town
officials what the citizens of Erie want with our meaningful vote to
encourage future growth in Old Town Erie. Has our town government gone
disastrously awry? Has Erie’s political system lost all ethics of
responsibility and courage to meet the challenge and possibilities of
the moment in history? What’s the bottom line, and who’s profiting from
this sale of our Old Town Erie buildings and land?
Vote
“No” on Question 2A. Sale price equal or greater than the market value
of the real property at the time of sale, but no less than $200,000 cash?
Dave Johnson/Erie
Letter to Katie Witt
Editor’s note: The following is an open letter to Longmont City Council candidate Katie Witt.
My neighbor and I
attended the candidate forum sponsored by the Longmont Chamber of
Commerce on Sept. 30. Someone asked you about the push-poll phone calls
that pose blatantlyfalse information about your opponent, Karen Benker. My husband, and many of our friends, have received these calls.
You
stated that you do not know who is making these calls, and I was
pleased that you asked members of the audience who might be involved to
stop doing so. That was wise, since nasty campaign methods reflect
badly on you.
So I
thought you might want to know that the callers are not local citizens,
but rather are from Virginia, and the organization is the Institute on
Voter Attitudes and Public Policy, an affiliate of the Free Enterprise
Institute. Their phone number is 571-308-7951. Now that you have this
information you should be able to contact them and tell them, as you
did the forum audience, to stop using such nasty tactics.
I look forward to the rest of this campaign being a straightforward, honest debate about issues, without misinformation.
Padma Wick/Longmont
Act on Climate Day
Oct. 24, International
Day of Climate Action, is an amazing opportunity for our community,
nation and world to rally together for strong climate action. With the
Boxer-Kerry bill in Senate and the
Copenhagen climate talks in December, the time is ripe for making a
real difference in the fight for climate justice. Here in Boulder, Oct.
24 is filled with a number of action events. A clean energy bike ride
kicks the day off; all bikes will take off from the Boulder Band Shell
at 10 a.m. and ride to Valmont Coal. A Climate Rally then follows; it
will begin at noon at the Boulder Municipal Building and features a
number of speakers, including Congressman Jared Polis. Our time is now,
and the opportunity is here. I hope to see the Boulder community out
this weekend in support of a sustainable future, clean energy, and
climate justice. For info, go to www.350.org.
Amy Guinan/Boulder
Improving our children’s diet
Just in time for the
observance of National School Lunch Week, the Baltimore City Public
School system became the first in the United States to offer its 80,000
students a weekly break from meat and associated chronic diseases. It’s
a welcome start on a long road to improving our children’s and our
nation’s health.
Traditionally, the
National School Lunch Program has served as a dumping ground for the
USDA’s surplus meat and dairy commodities. Not surprisingly, the USDA’s
own surveys indicate that 90 percent of American children consume
excessive amounts of fat, and only 15 percent eat the recommended
servings of fruits and vegetables. Consequently, nearly half of
American children are overweight, 25 percent have high cholesterol and
blood pressure, and 30,000 suffer from Type 2 diabetes, once limited to
adults. Their early dietary flaws become lifelong addictions,
contributing to the escalating public health crisis.
But
change is on the way. Hawaii, California, New York and Florida
legislatures have asked their schools to offer daily vegan/vegetarian
options. According to the School Nutrition Association, 52 percent of
U.S. school districts now do. President Obama is likely to call for
similar measures when the Child Nutrition Act is reauthorized by
Congress later this year.
Parents
and others who care about our children’s health should work with PTAs
and school officials to demand healthful, plant-based school meals,
snacks and vending machine items. They can get additional information
at schoolnutrition.org, schoolmeals.nal.usda.gov,
healthyschoollunches.org and choiceusa. net.
Stanley Silver/Boulder
Mitchell for council
I
recently met candidate for [Boulder] City Council Valerie Mitchell. She
impressed me as someone who could substantially improve the way our
city is run. She is smart, creative, vivacious and a respectful
listener. Best of all, she seems unwavering in her values and is
willing to work to see them implemented. Which values? The concept that
every member of our community matters and should have a voice (even if
they cannot afford to buy a house in Boulder). And the concept that our
quality of life is enhanced by the healthy ecosystem that surrounds us.
She
also had some great ideas to improve our city. For example, the
municipal court could offer community service opportunities in lieu of
fines and fees for tickets, while inspiring more citizens to
participate in community service.
Valerie
also brings a great deal of integrity and experience working directly
for community nonprofits. The council coordinator for the Boulder
chapter of MoveOn.org, Valerie has organized and participated in
political demonstrations, including the group’s recent push for a
public health-care option. She has also volunteered at Sinapu,
Mission:Wolf and Just Between Friends, among others, as well as having
worked for the Humane Society of Boulder Valley.
Valerie
is a strong advocate for the environment — don’t be fooled; the
decision-makers at the Sierra Club were off the mark when they
neglected to include her in their endorsements. A strong supporter of
community-supported agriculture, Valerie would seek to continue to find
ways to integrate food production into our neighborhoods to help build
a healthy community.
Overall, she is a great candidate and has earned my vote.
Daniel Ziskin/Boulder
Do your part
We’ve done a heck of a
job depleting, polluting and destroying our home, the Earth. I believe
we’re on the proverbial “fence” right now.
Please, hush the
chatter of your mind for a moment and take notice of what your gut is
indicating: “If you continue on this road, you will be the cause of
possibly your, and your children’s and your grandchildren’s demise.”
Please
use your influence to curtail all that’s being done to create incurable
environmental imbalance. The extinction of animal and plant species is
only the tip of the iceberg. Money and power won’t make a bit of
difference if we all end up dead and gone. This is not a joke, nor a
bad dream. This is our present-day reality. We, the people, depend on
you.
Mindy Eckhardt/Longmont
